Adventure Game: A Second Life
by roboYeti
Summary: Death ends up giving our heroine a second chance as life... as a video game character in another world! She has a whole world to explore, friends to make, adventures to be had; all as she hides her strange ability as a game character from the residence of One Piece. Warning: Heavy on the OC's as it is Pre Cannon! (commissioned art of Jasmine by R-no 71 on DA)
1. Chapter 1: Character Creation

**Disclaimer for entire story: I do not own One Piece. I do not own the various games I mention like D &D or Skyrim.**

 **Thanks to _The OC Bro_ for inspiring this! I loved their story  One Piece Adventure RPG; it is what gave me the idea (that and all the Gamer cross overs XD) My RPG game is a mix of DnD and Skyrim, so none of those things belong to me though I did make up all the names of things for feats and stuff.**

" _These are system messages"_

* * *

A plane of darkness, a soft warm darkness that tells you to sleep. It's not a scary nor creepy type of darkness, its inviting and comforting… but boring. No matter where I walk or what sounds I make I can see nor hear nothing. My voice is oddly muted, just like it would be on a snowy night. Time does not seem to pass here; I could have been here for only a few minutes or a few years for all I know. I tried focusing on my memories of my life but everything before my death is fuzzy, like trying to view an old black and white soundless movie. I flinch when the darkness is suddenly broken by a white light.

 _Do you wish to begin an adventure?_

Staring in shock at the sentence that had appeared in front of me I looked around then back at the sentence floating in the darkness.

"Well…. Considering there's nothing here… sure?" I respond to it out loud in a hesitant voice. It wasn't a bad place to be after I died but it was boring and I'd always dreamed of having adventures but had never done anything.

 _Please wait while we load the world…. You may familiarize yourself with the guidebook while you wait._

The sentence changed and suddenly the darkness was no more. I gasped as I stared at the dark starry sky above me; it was so vast! So filled with sparkling stars! I looked down and my breath left me once again. The ocean! It boggled the mind how vast and beautiful it was. Deep below me a coral reef glowed softly in the night, flashes of fish scales and shadowy shapes slowly swam about under the gentle waves.

A thought poked my brain from its contemplation of the oceanic beauty about me and I looked back at the sentence.

"Guidebook?" The mutter escaped me and I flinched as a translucent screen suddenly appeared before me. Its edges were gilded in a golden design of sea creatures.

 _Guide_

 _Create Character_

Curious, I taped the word 'Guide' to see what would pop up. The screen wavered and new words popped. As I read it I got the feeling this was not quite a video game nor D&D either but rather a mishmash of them. It was however definitely a nautical game!

As I read through the guide a few rules stuck in my mind that made me think this wouldn't be as easy as some games. The rest was fairly generic and reminded me a lot of Skyrim and that manhwa The Gamer.

' _Leveling up occurs immediately, however stat boosts and skill increases must be done during a rest, or with a teacher. Leveling up fully restores health, stamina and spirit._

 _Each skill's level you use increases the more you use it, however there is a limit to how high you may level it until certain requirements are met; once they are met the limit is raised. For most skills its level may not exceed that of your level; certain feats and perks grant over this limit._

 _You may only PAUSE the game once a month. The month cooldown starts from when you un-pause. Status effects stop their timers while in PAUSE status. PAUSE acts as a rest and thus you may allocate any stat points, skill increases, or use or drop any items you have on you. During the PAUSE you may move around but may not interact with the world. Items used during a PAUSE do not take effect until the game is un-paused when they all go off at once. A PAUSE lasts until you un-pause.'_

"So I can pause the game? That'll be a good life saver!" I grinned before tilting my head. "But… are there save points or reloads or is this a one shot only game?" I scrolled through the rest of the guide until my eyes caught the words I was looking for.

" _On Normal difficulty you may save at certain points and when you die you automatically reload at the last save point. You may not load an earlier save._

 _On Legendary difficulty there are no save points and death is permanent but the rewards are increased and you start off with a random rare item and are granted access to special perks."_

I chewed my lip; I always played normal difficulty on games since I loved the story and adventure rather than making it as hard as possible… but … this was my afterlife! An adventure! Why not take that chance for once? Plus… loot… I did love my loot! And I wonder what would be the rare item?

I took a deep breath and hit the back button; rules were read! Time to create my character!

 _Pick a race:_

 _Human_

 _Giant_

 _Merfolk_

 _Animal_

Oooooooohhhhhhhh. I could be a mermaid! I clicked on each to read their description.

" _Giants stand a minimum of 9 feet tall and are known for being great warriors and for their honor and loyalty. They are found almost exclusively in the Grand Line._

" _Merfolk are a mix of human and sea creatures. Mermaids are known for their beauty and lovely voices. The tears of a mermaid are said to be a powerful medicine... as are their tails. They are often hunted for such by greedy pirates and nobles. Merfolk are also sometimes called Fishfolk. This often is the case when the merfolk has the legs of a humanoid rather than a fish. Such merfolk are known for their immense strength and resiliency and often feared as monsters._

" _Animals; some animals may be born with a larger size and brain than the rest of their species; as such you may play one of these creatures. However you will be unable to talk to other species unless you eat the Human devil fruit."_

Grand Line…. DEVIL FRUIT?! That... that sounded familiar… I wracked my brain, pushing through the fog that had surrounded exact details of my life until I reached it. One Piece! It was a manga! I remember loving the characters and world.

Now that I knew where I was, I could decide if I actually wanted to be a non-human. They were... rare if I recall right, or at least rare to the human's thoughts. I think human would be best; I didn't want to be restricted by the sea and hunted for my tears or tail as awesome as being a mermaid would be. And being a giant surrounded by little people would be amusing but also difficult to find clothing or enough food.

Maybe next play through, I thought, if there is another chance. I selected the human option and blinked as the screen changed.

 _Please pick a difficulty; some options are not available on normal play throughs._

 _Normal_

 _Legendary_

Well I'd already made my decision earlier but I hadn't realized they'd want it so soon! Legendary here I come!

 _Please vocalize your physical changes_

….What? I'd expected the various bars that shifted through options like in a normal game… but this wasn't a game was it? It was my afterlife! My second life if you would.

"3 inches taller." I said to test it out. A strange sensation shivered though my body as my bones stretched and creaked, the muscles elongated and broadened to fill out the new height. I felt like a piece of laffy taffy! It was certainly a weird feeling. I was now... what, 5'8"?

"Muscular!" And I bulked up… like… pro weightlifter status. Bit much that… cool but not what I wanted.

"Umm… leaner muscles, like a martial artist and runner mix?" I asked hopefully getting my idea across. If I was going to be able to change myself I wanted to be fit for once! I mean I'd had abs… like a decade ago when I was doing tennis all week long… I blinked as that bit of information dislodged from the fog. Huh, I used to play tennis. What was tennis again?

I looked down at myself and smiled; much better! I didn't really want to change any other proportions or colors.

"Randomize colors and features." If I was to start over; then I will let the world choose my exact look! Something inside twisted and curled and I shuddered as a brief flash of pain hit. Maybe all at once was a bad idea? I thought as I crouched down to peer at myself in the ocean. The reflection was bad but enough to see my face. I had a strong nose with slanted blue eyes. My skin was a rich dark brown color, the white of my eyes and teeth a startling contrast when I grinned happily. My hair turned out to be shoulder length with small waves kinking the black strands; it was currently pulled into a loose side pony tail. Perched on my nose was a pair of black rimmed glasses. I was now slightly short sighted. I pulled them off and shrugged. Why not keep it? I could still function without them, so it wouldn't cripple me if I lost them.

"Age… 20." That sounded like a good number. Adult but with everything still to go. Something inside of me... changed. It felt like…Like a … like eating some really strong mint actually. It was weird… refreshing though.

"I'm done." I said to the screen and whoever was doing this. "Thank you."

 _Select Starting Location; each starting location has skills unique to them that may not be gained unless you select them during character creation._

 _East Blue_

 _North Blue_

 _West Blue_

 _South Blue_

 _Grand Line_

 _Red Line_

I know that Red Line was a long stretch of land… Grand Line was an odd place and the rest? I had no clue! Let's just pick randomly!

"West Blue." I liked the sound of being a western girl.

 _Stats_

 _You have 65 points to allocate. An average human has 10 in each stat. An average giant has 15, and the average merfolk has 13._

 _Mind_ _: Your skill with thinking, understanding, learning new skills, and resisting Conqueror's Haki are based on this stat. Certain items and skills require a certain amount of Mind to be able to unlock and use._

 _Body_ _: Resisting pain, how much damage you can take, how much you can carry, your stamina, and how well you can swim are based on this stat. Certain items and skills require a certain amount of Body to be able to unlock and use._

 _Spirit_ _: Learning, use of and how long you can use Haki is based off on this stat. Certain items and skills require a certain amount of Spirit to be able to unlock and use._

 _Speed_ _: Your skill with running, using light weapons, and reaction times are based on this ability. Certain items and skills require a certain amount of Speed to be able to unlock and use._

 _Luck_ _: Luck determines what sort of loot you find in dungeons, random acts of god, and the chance someone will come to help you or give hints towards quests. Certain items and skills require a certain amount of Luck to be able to unlock and use._

Hmmm… I have 65 points and 5 stats so I could round them out nicely with 13 in each to start off with. I'd be an average merfolk strength but as a human. That luck stat made me laugh; random acts of god! Kinda like this whole game ehh? I smile and stat allocating stats, stopping once they are all at 10 and looking at my remaining 15 points. I've always wanted to run fast and since I was doing Legendary I decided it'd be best if I was able to escape bad situations so I bumped my speed up to 15. The rest I spread out evenly so that everything was at 12 with two points left over.

Where to put it… Well since I was going to explore this entire world I should probably put it into Mind. Especially since my mind has always been my greatest asset.

 _Stats_

 _Mind 14_

 _Body 12_

 _Spirit 12_

 _Speed 15_

 _Luck 12_

 _Accept – Reset_

Taking a deep breath I hit accept and waited to see what else would come next; the guide had mentioned feats and skills. Would those be next?

 _Legendary Perks of West Blue_

 _West Blue is known for its great musicians and historians!_

 _\+ 2 skills_

 _+1 Feat_

 _Legendary Perk: +1 Million Beri, +1 Random Rare Item_

 _Please select from the following:_

 _Feats_

 _Ohara Native_ _: You can read the lost language of the Poneglyphs. The World Government has its eye on you: +50 Notoriety._

 _Prodigy_ _: You are talented and have an innate knowledge of one skill (limited to archeology, music, and singing.) That talent has a Max Skill Level Limit of 5 over your level. You start out with that skill at its max skill level and gain experience in that skill faster.[May only be selected at level 1]_

 _Pirate Legacy_ _: You are descendent of a notorious pirate. +100 Notoriety, + Grandad's Treasure Map, +Grandad's cutlass._

 _Noble_ _: You are a legitimate child of a World Noble. +100 Prestige, +1 Billion Beri, +2 Slaves._

 _Skills_

 _Archeology_ _: You can glean information from ruins and bones. Max Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _Brewing_ _: Every good party needs music and alcohol! You have been taught how to brew alcoholic drinks. You start with the recipe's for Sweet Ohara Sake, Sinbad's Sinful Wine, and Sparrow Rum. Max Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _Musician_ _: (pick an instrument) You know how to play an instrument and are no longer tone deaf. Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _Musical Composition_ _: You know how to compose music and are no longer tone deaf. Max Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _Singing_ _: You have been taught to sing and are no longer tone deaf. Max Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

Nice! Free stuff! My eye's scanned the feats and widened. Legendary sure had some good perks! I immediately chose Ohara Native. I'd always loved myths, legends, and history. Prodigy would be nice as would pirate legacy but something about lost languages and searching for lost ruins just appealed to me.

Next up for me to pick from were the skills. I would need some way to pay the bills I guess and the thought of being able to make sweet music resonated with me. And… My eyes scanned the list. Archeology would be nice, except I didn't want to specialize in that. Brewing though… I could… have a ship with a brewery on board! Is that possible? Hmmmmm. I could be a floating bar later down the line! I would brew and perform! Everyone would know of it! My hand moved fast and tapped it. After my adventures I could settle down and play music in my floating tavern!

 _You have selected for your West Blue Perk_

 _Ohara Native_

 _Singing_

 _Brewing_

 _Accept – Reset_

Hitting accept it moved onto the next screen… the actual Feat and Skills selection. This was far more extensive and filled out. It had everything from weapons and instruments to crafting to swimming. I started with 5 skills (not including my perks). One ought to be for fighting, two for sailing, and two for fun.

Weapons, weapons, weapons… hmmmm. Swords? Nah. I do not do well with blades; I always end up cutting myself. Guns? Hmm… Maybe a rifle. Though… My eyes landed upon the bo staff skill. It was a way to defend myself and not kill too many people; I just didn't feel like ending other's lives.

 _Martial Artist (bo staff_ _)- Grants the starting style of Simple Monkey. Simple Monkey incorporates leaps and long loose stabs. Further training or feats opens up other styles. May be combined with Elemental Martial Art styles_.

That sounded… interesting. And a staff was far easier to replace than a gun or sword! One down… sailing skill next.

 _Meteorologist_ _\- You can read the skies and weather patterns and know when storms are coming in and how dangerous they can be. Further training will lead you to be able to predict weather._

 _Navigation_ _\- You know how to use maps, stars, and compasses to guide a ship and figure out where you are._

 _Sailor (profession)-_ _You know how to rig the sails, steer, and clean a small fishing boat. Further training will lead to understanding more complex and different ships._

 _Shipwright (craft)-_ _You know how to make and fix small sailing ships. Further training will lead to knowing how to use different materials and more complex ships._

 _Swimming_ _\- You can swim. Further training will aid you in resisting deep sea currents, being able to stay afloat in a river's rapids or during a storm. Devil Fruit users may not have this skill._

Well I already have a craft (singing and brewing) so not shipwright. Swimming is rather important but so is knowing how to find my way, as is actually being able to work on a ship as a sailor. You know what I should pick up Sailor because I have no real idea on how to sail… or anything about the ocean to be completely honest.

So Swimming and Sailor are a must have if I am to be on a boat. Should I use my fun one to instead grab Navigation? Hmm… I spent the next few moments going through the list of skills making a list of all the ones I wanted.

 _Alchemy:_ _You can brew potions and poisons. Further training will increase knowledge of recipes and different materials._

 _Appraise_ _: You know how to appraise treasure to get an idea of what it's worth. Further training to increase knowledge and accuracy._

 _Archeology_ _: You can glean information from ruins and bones. Further training to know on sight which culture was where._

 _Cooking_ _: You know how to cook simple recipes that involve a stove. Further training to increase deliciousness, use of different or exotic ingredients, and learn more complex recipes._

 _Diving_ _: You know the basics of how to dive in the ocean._

 _First Aid:_ _You can bandage wounds and stop bleeding. Further training increases the types of wounds you can help heal and diagnosing what damage has been done._

 _Fishing_ _: You know how to fish for small fish in lakes. Further training to learn how to fish in rivers, oceans, and sky seas._

 _Haki (Armament):_ _Also known as Buso-shuki no Haki. Requirements:. Spirit 20 and Body 20. You can use your spirit as armor to defend against attacks or to make your own attacks more potent. Only way to hurt a Logia Devil Fruit user is with this._

 _Haki (Conqueror's_ _): Requirements: Must have the Conqueror's Feat. Spirit 20 and Luck 20. A rare type of Haki only one in a million can use which grants the user the ability to overpower the will of others._

 _Haki (observational):_ _"The Color of Observation": Also known as Kenbunshoku no Haki. Requirements: Spirit 20 and Mind 20. You have a sixth sense of the world around them and limited precognitive abilities_

 _Sneaking_ _: You know how to be stealthy. Further training to increase you skill and knowledge of stealth in different situations._

Oh the choices. I've managed to limit it to these few (weapons make up a huge amount apparently!) And as much as I wanted to I can't pick any of the Haki's! Which sucks…. Being able to sense others would be a great boon, I suppose I must wait till later levels. That leaves the rest. There was a huge amount… but I feel these would serve me best for now. I really want to learn the lore of this world so perhaps Archeology. First Aid cause I need to know what to do if I get hurt.

 _Skills Chosen:_

 _Archeology_

 _First Aid_

 _Martial Artist (bo staff)_

 _Sailor (profession)_

 _Swimming_

 _Accept –Reset_

Accept of course… I smiled to myself; this was taking quite some time! But then any good game you always spent lots of time on character creation since it was to be your baby in the new world… though in this case I was my own baby.

The feats section was filled with different things: usually a special attack that had a cooldown or something that granted a permanent bonus. I eyed the Conqueror's Feat but in the end decided to not go that path. I didn't need the Will of D either. I was going to do this as myself without king feats! I mean. I'd probably get strong without it right? And you don't need a D or Conqueror's to be strong. I did the same thing and made a list of all the ones I did want and narrowed it down.

 _Feats: You may select 1._

 _Bardic Magic_ _: Your music can inspire people to greatness or wound their spirit. Can keep allies from falling to Conqueror's Haki or running away._

 _Conqueror's Feat_ _: You are eligible for unlocking Conqueror's Haki once the requirements have been met. You have increased resistance to other's Haki._

 _Defensive Fighting_ _: You specialize in fighting defensively. Your opponents damage is halved but you deal half damage as well._

 _Elemental Martial Arts_ _: Your martial arts has developed an elemental aspect to it; when activated it consumes spirit and deals elemental damage._

 _Loot Senses Tingling_ _: Your ability to sniff out loot and find it is impressive: you can practically hear the gold calling you!_

 _Pirateblood_ _: It's in your blood to sail the seas, adventure and find treasure! You have an innate sense of when a fight or treasure is nearby._

 _Will of D_ _: You have a D as an initial of your name. You have an additional +10 to your Spirit Stat and gain the Leadership skill. While trying to achieve your Dream, you can inspire others to follow you easier and gain friendship status faster._

There were so many more but these few just called out to me. That Bardic Magic though… Hmm...I think I'll take that. Can you imagine their face when they try to knock out my crew and my music makes us laugh in their face? I recall from my guide browsing that I got a feat at 3rd and every 3 levels after it and got a skill point ever odd level. So at level 3 I can grab that Loot Sense! And I can grind my skills up to their Max Skill Limit outside of using my level ups.

 _Feat Chosen:_

 _Bardic Magic_

 _Accept –Reset_

Finally! I sigh as I tap accept and watch as the world shifts around me and an island appears in the distance before speeding ever closer… or was I speeding towards it?

* * *

 _Your Character_

 _ **Jasmine**_

 _Reputation_ _: Neutral -50 ( Notoriety: 50 || Prestige: 0)_

 _Health 260 Spirit 1200 Stamina 1200_

 _ **Stats**_

 _Mind 14_

 _Body 12_

 _Spirit 12_

 _Speed 15_

 _Luck 12_

 _ **Feats**_

 _Ohara Native_ _: You can read the lost language, the Poneglyphs. The World Government has its eye on you: +50 Notoriety_

 _Bardic Magic_ _: Your music can inspire people to greatness or wound their spirit. Can keep allies from falling to Conqueror's Haki or running away._

 _ **Skills**_

 _Archeology_ _: You can glean information from ruins and bones. Further training to know on sight which culture was where._

 _Brewing_ _: Every good party needs music and alcohol! You have been taught how to brew alcoholic drinks. Max Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _First Aid:_ _You can bandage wounds and stop bleeding. Further training increases the types of wounds you can help heal and diagnosing what damage has been done._

 _Martial Artist (bo staff_ _)- Grants the starting style of Simple Monkey. Simple Monkey incorporates leaps and long stabs. Further training or feats opens up other styles. May be combined with Elemental Martial Art styles_.

 _Sailor (profession)-_ _You know how to rig the sails, steer, and clean a small fishing boat. Further training will lead to understanding more complex and different ships._

 _Singing_ _: You know how to play the violin and are no longer tone deaf. Skill Level Limit raised by 2 for being a West Blue native: you may reach 2+ your level in this skill._

 _Swimming_ _\- You can swim. Further training will aid you in resisting deep sea currents, being able to stay afloat in a river's rapids or during a storm. Devil Fruit users may not have this skill._

 _ **Inventory**_

 _Brewing Recipes: Sweet Ohara Sake, Sinbad's Sinful Wine, and Sparrow Rum_

 _1 Million Beri_

 _+1 Random Rare Item_

 _Start Tutorial – Reset_

I raised a finger, took a deep breath, and hit Start tutorial. It was time to begin my adventure!

 **Author's note** : **After this all character sheets will be placed in a separate story. I prefer to have my stories flow better and having character sheets really detracts from that. I will leave a note like this [[Ch # Bob]] in my story and the story Character sheet's in my profile will have a chapter listed Ch # Bios and each bio appearing in said chapter. At the bottom of each chapter if there's been a change, I'll list Jasmine's character sheet.**

Note on how Leveling up, Health, Spirit and Stamina work.

Health =10*( mind)+10*(body)+ feats +level up increases

Spirit= 100*(spirit)+feats +level up increases

Stamina= 100*(body)+ feats +level up increases

Leveling up:

When you level up you get +1 stat point.

Every odd level (1, 3, 5..)+1 skill point

Every even level (2, 4, 6,..)+50 Stamina, Spirit, or Health

Every 3 levels (1, 3, 6, 9 …) +1 Feat

Every 5 levels( 5, 10,15…) +1 New Legendary Skill/Feat/Item

Leveling a skill: you use it. The more you use it the more experience you get in it. (think Skyrim) however you cannot reach a level greater than your own (unless you have a feat saying otherwise)


	2. Chapter 2: Tutorial

_[[Jasmine Bio 1]] - indicates the bio you need to look at, Check my profile for my character sheet story and select the matching chapter to this one (2). I am doing this so people don't have to do too much skimming and leads to a cleaner story._

* * *

 _I raised a finger, took a deep breath, and hit Start Tutorial. It was time to begin my adventure_!

The world was suddenly… there. I hadn't realized how not there it'd been till now. Abruptly there was wind ruffling my hair, the smell of the ocean, the feeling of sand beneath my feet, the sound of seagulls behind me and song birds in front of me. Before there'd been the sea and ocean but no sound, no smell, no sense of the world beyond a pretty picture.

"Welcome to Chutoriaru." A voice suddenly called out, causing me to flinch in surprise. "You are known here as Jasmine, an orphan raised by the archaeologists who work in the Tree of Knowledge. You've grown up learning to read from the vast library contained within the Tree. Your island has been settled for the last 5000 years, ever since the Tree of Knowledge was planted. The World Government has permitted the study of the Void Century though recently you've heard whispers from the others that the wind is changing.

However you have not simply stayed within the library and have wandered out into the village often enough to be taken on as an apprentice at the local brewery. In your spare time, you were taught martial arts at the local dojo. In the last 6 years you have helped to raise the other orphans."

Holy F-

As the voice spoke a massive migraine hit my brain as images and memories piled in. Memories of being raised by a group of older folks, the scent of the library, the feeling knowledge of learning to brew, learning to fight, learning to read the Poneglyphs. Memories of the few small children that I helped look after, changed diapers(ew), and taught to read.

Well- I had not expected that. It appears I was being granted a background and life. I rubbed my head and looked around as the voice continued.

"Just recently you have told your fellow librarians that you are seeking to leave… they gave you a weapon and a farewell gift and sent you off last week. You have just now arrived upon Chutoriaru, dropped off by a marine ship on its way past."

A figure approached from the east, a young girl with a smile on her face.

"You may call me Chikai, I am to be your guide for the extent of your stay here. Do you have any questions?"

"Um… my farewell gift?" I said, the first thing that came to my mind. She nodded her head to the left of me with a smile on her face. Looking left and then down I noticed a pack with a nice bamboo bo staff lying next to it.

The pack held some protein bars, a few tangerines, a rather large bulging purse and some books. A small chest sat in the middle of it though and that one I opened. Was this the rare item that a Legendary play through got?

Inside was… a shell. I cocked my head and looked at it.

"If you Think 'Observe' you can learn about the item and people." Came the helpful tip from my tutorial guide. "To get more detailed information you will need the skill Appraise or Observation Haki."

Alright... _Observe_.

'Sky Dial- a rare dial from the Sky Islands. Currently Unidentified.'

The information appeared above it briefly before fading out. Cool! I think I'm going to need Observational Haki and Appraise real fast! Knowledge is power! The dial I stored back inside the small chest; it looked fragile and I didn't want it to break.

"If you will follow me I will give you a tour of the town and point out the important places."

I nodded and followed along, making sure to grab my awesome bo staff and pack before following. The island we were on was small, a single town and bay where ships would dock. A small marine base overlooked the bay. As we walked I enjoyed the feeling of the wind and sand; I don't know how long had passed in the darkness but it'd felt like forever! I could hardly feel my memories from before the game; it was like stepping into this world had removed the last world from me.

"You will find the Oceanic Bank in all major towns and cities. It is a safe zone and no fighting can be done there. You may store any money or items here, retrieving items must be done at the unique bank you deposited it in. Money may be withdrawn from any bank. Please be aware that illegal items may be confiscated by the World Government at their discretion."

"Wait... they can just take my stuff?"

"Illegal items only. The Oceanic Bank obeys the laws and reports all illegal activity. Your money and all legitimate goods are safe."

"So… if I had something Illegal, where could I safely store it? Other than digging a hole and burying it."

"The Bank of Jones is an unsanctioned bank that is not a safe zone but is known to be very vengeful towards any who steal from them. They are under the protection of a Yonko and take a small fee for their service but all items stored there will be kept safe and not stolen. Officially it does not exist… "

"Yonko?"

"A pirate who has achieved great power and status that the world government would risk war trying to go after them." Nice. That sounded like someone I could trust my illegal goods to.

"Will you wait here while I store some stuff?"

"Of course." Chikai smiled politely, she did everything politely, and waited and I walked into a tall building flanked with grand white marble pillars and polished granite floors. It screamed wealth and importance. Who else polishes their floors so you can see yourself? Perverts trying to look up your skirt?

I left after creating an account and depositing most of my beri's, leaving only 50,000 in my purse. I wanted to find this Bank of Jones fast! I was certain that the government could keep tabs on you when you withdrew money and what if I was avoiding them? I mean... I wasn't going pirate… at least I wasn't intending to! Maybe bounty hunter... That way I could be free but not considered wanted. Unless I met someone who I wouldn't mind calling captain.. or.. I became a captain!

Next we hit a clothing shop. I wanted more than one set of clothes! I left with a much emptier purse but the happy owner of two sets of cargo capri pants, two short shorts, several tank tops, a few t-shirts in black and blue, a hoodie, swim suit, sweat pants and some combat boots. My current tennis shoes were fine but I needed something more water proof that would last longer. I was left with just enough for lunch. Looks like I'd need to withdraw some more.

I also realized an issue with one of my skills; as much as I wanted to be able to brew alcohol and other drinks… you needed machines for that. Machines I did not have nor know what to get! I probably should have grabbed something a bit more… useful.

After I got the whole tour and Chikai left me at the café an alert popped up in front of me at the same time a siren wailed in the distance, coming from the marine base.

 ** _Event! Pirates are attacking at the bay!_**

This must be the tutorial into fighting: I licked my lips nervously. I hope this wouldn't hurt.

I paid my bill and left, running down to the nearby beach to see what was up. As I ran in the corner of my vision a set of translucent bars popped up: 3 differently colored bars. The green was labeled Health, the red Stamina, and the blue Spirit. As I ran the stamina bar dropped one point after a bit. At least it's not too distracting and it's there so I will know when I start running low!

As I heard the sounds of battle another alert popped up.

 ** _Pick a Side_**

 _Do you help the Marines, Pirates, or Walk Away?_

 _Rewards Vary._

Below I saw the evenly matched sides and decided to try and not be pirate right off the bat.. The little marines were just in it to protect people right? I would prefer to help people.

I dropped my bag on the ground and grabbed my bo staff as I quietly slunk off to the side before charging in. In my mind I focused on the words 'Simple Monkey Style' to activate my ability and did a diving roll into battle. My staff came up point first as I came to my feet, connecting with the pirates chin and causing him to fall unconscious.

 _+10 exp_

 _Level 1 10/100 exp_

The words flashed briefly off to the side as I ducked another pirate's sword and whipped my staff around in a circle to clear the area around me. I had no time to think as battle descended. Luckily the marines were all wearing white and blue and were easy to not hit on accident otherwise I might have taken out a few of them as well. A few hits got through my defense and I flinched each time as they cut into my clothes and drew blood. Pain! But I knew this was more than a game going in so I didn't cry or whimper and shouldered on: if I wanted to be big in this world I had to not be a wimp! I couldn't wuss out at the first fight! My green health bar had a small dent in it but nothing too worrying just yet.

 _An act of courage and not giving into weakness grants +1 to your Spirit Stat_

 _Jasmine Level 1 90/100_

 _Spirit is now at 13_

Eventually, the marines and I managed to clear the pirates out. After it was over I stood hiding my trembles and trying to slow my pounding heart as I looked at the red patches staining my shirt. I gave the marines a nervous smile as the one with a fancier cap approached.

I wasn't able to take out 10 to gain that level but I had a safe first taste of combat. I'd level up in time.

"Figured you could use the help." I said to the slightly smaller man when he got close enough. I had no idea what his rank was. The taller man gave me a grateful smile and barked orders for the wounded to fall back.

"And I am grateful for it! Though we've the captain of this bunch of sea scum to take out."

My heat beat sped up one again as nerves and anticipation hit and I turned to face the small ship that was beached as a broad figure jumped off and stormed towards us; looks like I'd get my level after all!

As I squinted to see the captain, I readied myself for a leaping jump. My glasses had fallen off some time during the fight; maybe that was why I could fight so well? Since their faces were blurry it was easier to attack?

I shook the thoughts away as the pirate ran forward with a roar.

"Ye ain't gonna get away with this ye scurvy dogs!" I almost laughed at his over the top act and accent but kept it to a smile. Once he got close enough I sprang into the air, the extra time spent readying my attack making it that much more effective and higher a leap!

The staff landed solidly on his head and I could, briefly, see a red bar appear and get chunked. Using my staff I flipped backwards to land back in my spot as he stumbled for a moment. He was at about 70% still… Pity.

"Charge!" The marine leader yelled and I found marines suddenly on either side of me as they joined the fray. It put a bit of a crimp in my fighting style since the Simple Monkey uses a lot of space, whirling staff, leaping, and wide swings. But in the end we managed to bring the smelly bugger down without too much harm being done to my temporary allies.

 ** _Event Over!_**

 _Marine forces have been reinforced and the Pirates defeated without a single death!_

 _+20 exp for Boss defeat_

 _+50 exp for successfully completing an event!_

 _+10 exp for defeating your opponents without killing anyone._

 _+5 Prestige for aiding the Marines_

 _Level up! Stamina, Health, and Spirit are all refilled!_

 _+1 Stat Point, stored till next rest_

 _At next rest please pick a Health, Stamina, or Spirit bar to increase by 50 points._

 _Jasmine Level 2 60/200_

 _Reputation: -45 ( Notoriety: 50 || Prestige: 5)_

Level up! The benefit of having everything refilled with a level up was nice! I had been feeling a little bit tired but not anymore! I smiled to myself as I bent down to examine the guy. Were there loot drops? Nope… ah well.

"Is he worth a bounty?" I asked curiously to the marine leader who approached me.

"Bloody Bergaher. He's worth 5000 Beri. I'll handle the transaction back at base. The name's Sergeant Hilik, ma'am. Thanks again for the help... and for the lack of deaths." He eyed the bodies being dragged off with a glint in his eye. "We prefer to capture the low level pirates and try to give them a second chance."

"Jasmine, please, ma'am makes me feel older than I am." I said with wide grin. "I prefer not to kill cause once you die it's over." Well.. sorta. It's over at least in the world where you were in at least! I cannot go back to the other world and the same is true for everyone right?

"I'll help you drag him." I offered. "Since we're both going that way anyways?"

Hilik shook his head and grabbed one of the pirate's arms. "If you could instead secure his ship? I'd have one of mine do it but we need to get these all in chains and a cell before they wake up."

"Ah gotcha! Meet you at the base then." Loot!

I trotted over to grab my bag first before heading into the ship; I wonder if I could keep it? Though… I eyed it. 'Observe.' The ship was a smaller one but still too large for me to sail on my own. It had a single large mast with triangular sails and a rather sleek looking hull. I rather liked it!

 _Small Single-masted Caravel, requires a crew of 10. Built with a shallow keep it gives up cargo space in favor of being able to sail shallow coastal waters and up deep rivers._

Too big for me but something to keep in mind for the future. If I am to be exploring I should probably get something that can go up rivers and hide better right?

On board I found stuff but nothing I really needed at this moment. Their food was too old, their chests empty, their weapons not something I needed. My eye spotted some maps on a wall in the captain's quarters. Hmm… I stashed them in my pack along with his log book. Perhaps it'd be useful! I grabbed a large brown duffel bag that was by the door on my way out. My bag was too small, barely holding all my stuff right now.

The crew's quarters were disgusting! My nose wrinkled as the smell of salty unwashed bodies hit. Ugh! I did find an erhu though; I can sell it if I cannot learn how to use it! Strange how a pirate ship would have an erhu; a delicate sweet sounding instrument on board.

I sat on the deck and went through the large duffel bag I'd taken; it had some booze and clothes with in it. Thankfully it smelled clean so I quickly transferred my gear into there before I returned briefly to the captain's quarters to change clothes and wipe off all the sweat and blood the fight had left me with as well as bandaging my small cuts. Then I sat down and pulled out the books in my bag. Since I was waiting might as well read.

Turns out one was my recipe book!

'Hope you enjoy the seas, I've added in some instructions for building a brewery on board a ship or on land since you need the tools to actually do anything!

Take care and write back soon—Inolan'

Was written on the inside cover and sure enough the first few pages were a detailed drawing with instructions on what would be needed. The pages that followed were my three known recipes followed by blank pages. I stared at the blank pages as memories surfaced; false memories but ones that were real for this body.

Inolan, a tall broad man with dark skin and bushy white hair that always looked like a mad scientist. Inolan showing me materials, fruits, his deep laugh as I made a mess. His wife, taller and broader than him, but with the sweetest voice who made the best rum ever. Their kid who pestered me for stories.

Apparently I wasn't just getting a fake backstory; this world was making it a reality and replacing my real ones with these new ones. I know this cause I cannot for the life of me recall my original family's faces or names. I knew I had a big one but… no numbers, no names, nothing. How much more would I lose? And did it actually matter? I could no longer return to that world, could no longer see those people; it would only make me lonely and sad if I kept remembering them… so wouldn't this be helpful?

I tried to think on the bright side but the sadness at the loss of my original memories lingered.

I looked up as I heard the crunching of boots upon the sand. Marines had arrived to take over. I shoved the visions and melancholy away as I stood up.

"All clear I guess. I took some maps and an erhu." I said as they clambered on board.

"Thank you again for your help, Ma'am." Came the quick response followed by a lazy salute. "Sarg is waiting with the funds already for when you get there."

"Mm.. thanks!" I hopped off, swinging the duffel bag over one shoulder and the violin strapped to the other. Well, now I won't have to withdraw more money! Though considering how fast I went through 50,000 this 5,000 was not going to last long!

"Is there a ship out of here today?" I asked the Sargent.

"The ship taking these guys to justice will leave in a few hours. Shall I let them know you'll be needing a berth?"

"Oh! That would be quite useful." I smiled gratefully, "How much?"

He waved his hand in the air, dismissing my question. "You paid for it this afternoon with your aid! It'll drop you off on Kellbar Island though; since its next stop is one of our prison islands."

"That sounds perfect." I took my money and was about to head out when Hilik's voice called out.

"You know.. the Marines could use someone who has a strong sense of justice, morality, and is willing to put their life on the line for others… If you're interested in joining we've got offices just about everywhere."

I looked back over my shoulder and grinned impishly. "I don't think I'd take too well to being given orders! Plus I want a bit more freedom to wander where the wind blows me. Maybe in the future though."

"Fair enough. Speedy winds aid your travels ma'am!"

Ma'am… what is it with them and ma'am? Do I really look that old? Or is it a respectful thing? Could be worse… they could be calling me lass! I headed down to the docks near the bay to wait for the ship. I had all afternoon to waste and I intended to do a bit of grinding. Although I might spend some time reading since I had gotten distracted by the visions and replacement memories.

Leaning up against a tree, I pulled out a book to make it look like I was reading as I mentally called up my character sheet and allocated my points. I didn't want to look crazy just tapping the air and the world or game seemed to understand; the pages of my book changed to reflect my character sheet.

What to put where… I think Stamina should be increased. Just in case things go really bad and I need to run a long time! As for stats—I need 20 in mind and spirit for Observational Haki. Spirit I increased by one to make it match the mind.

[[Jasmine Bio 1]]

It was far more in depth than earlier, telling me how much damage I'd actually do with my weapons and style. Frankly, level one simple monkey sucked; 1 extra damage per strike? I need to level that! Though one fight was enough to increase it half way to the next level and that took all of like 3 minutes. With a few hours of running through the kata's that are embedded in my memories I ought to be able to raise it right?

Let's see to actually grind I need to know my regen rates. "Guide." I smiled as it appeared and I found the bit on Regeneration.. as well as Death. Yikes!

 _You die when all 3 of your bars reach 0. (Health, Stamina, Spirit)_

 _Once your Health reaches 0, you start taking 5 point of Spirit and Stamina damage per minute. You also have a chance to fall unconscious._

 _When Spirit reaches 0, you can no longer use your Haki abilities._

 _When Stamina reaches 0 you cannot use special attacks and your normal attacks starting taking their stamina requirements from your Spirit. If your Spirit is also at 0, you start to take away from Health._

 _Health replenishes at 10 points per hour you sleep. Wounds recede once their damage has been healed, however any wound effects remain in place until medicine, first aid, or a doctors abilities are used._

 _Stamina replenishes at 20 points per hour you rest (not doing any strenuous activity) while sleep replenishes it at 100 per hour._

 _Spirit replenishes at 20 points per hour, 30 per hour of rest, and 40 per hour of sleep._

Well; at least if you lose all your health it's not an automatic death! But the rate of regen is not favorable for me considering my bo staff uses 10 stamina per minute and singing uses 5. I guess I can go till I drop, sleep for an hour then focus on reading and going through my memories more fully. If I was to be integrate into this world best I prepare myself for it now while things are quiet.

I sat and wandered through the memories, focusing on the dojo parts. Once I had managed to do so I grabbed my staff and began to slowly move through the motions, making sure I matched what the visions depicted. I noticed as I did so that my stamina was decreasing at 5 per minute rather than 10. Curious I sped up and attacked as if I was in combat for a minute.

Yup. Dropped by 10. I grinned; fighting took double what slow practice did! This made training a bit more doable. Just in case I checked my progress on the style itself:

 _Simple Monkey Style: Level: 1 (limit 2) 90% to next level._

I kept going until a game alert popped up.

 _Through strenuous exercise you have trained your body! +1 to Body stat, +10 to Stamina._

I laughed and stopped my exercise. I'd managed to grind the simple monkey style till it was capped off, though it did state 30% towards the next level; I guess that meant I could be at almost level 3 until I leveled up and then just spend a little bit to get that next skill level?

Training looked like it was the best thing to do; not only did you gain stats and stamina, you leveled your fighting skills! No wonder … what's his name was so strong. I stopped and frowned. I knew who he was—at least I used to know. Someone who lived in this world, someone who was the greatest.. something… I sighed. It looked like this world was eroding away at any spoiler like knowledge I would have as well!

I frowned and tried to recall other names of people; people from places whose names were also missing. Everything was fuzzy; I knew this was from- this world was.. It's a game, but also my second life. But what is it based off of? The world was one I loved, I knew that, the game based off of several games I'd played; but no name could be found. No image. Nothing. I paused in my final stretch, hands clenched as I fought a panic attack. I was losing myself! This.. was this even me? Or was I just a replacement person? A … a fake soul living in some girls body? Had I killed that girl and taken her place?

No! I.. I am Jasmine! I was from another world! I made this body, I made this character. It is me. I did not displace someone else! It's all me, all mine. This game is… is One Piece! Which is a treasure of sorts right? It was about a boy, one who smiled and never gave up.

I took a deep breath as I stood up. I gave up a part of me to be here, I am not losing myself, I am merely changing. I had died and was now reborn. This is me, was always me. It's my body, my mind, my soul.

 _For calmly using logic and thinking your way through your panic and problems +1 to Mind!_

"Oh shut up." I muttered to the system announcement.

Time to lose myself in music; I only had 100 stamina left but it would last me 20 minutes which ought to be enough before I started digging into my Spirit. But considering that I wanted an escape from this whole losing myself panic, it'd be worth it.

I spent an hour familiarizing myself with my voice. How low could it go, how high, how long could I hold a note. What did I have to do to hit certain notes. Then I began to sing one of the many songs imbedded within the memories given to me; songs of old legends and myths, of acts of daring and great love stories. When my stamina ran out it was like I was about to pass out; the world got fuzzy, the bright lights burning my eyes, the sounds all sounding distance as the world spun slightly. I kept on singing though, my song faltering a bit.

After the hour I packed my bags and curled up for a light nap; hoping I wouldn't miss my boat; it was approaching evening but I had a few hours of sunlight left.

I went to sleep, ignoring the message alert that popped up.

 _The Song Must Go On! For continuing playing despite the loss of stamina, you gain +10 spirit status!_

* * *

[[Jasmine bio 2]] for the changes in her skills.

 **AN: Hopefully the numbers work out. I kinda winged it a bit XD I'm not doing too much numbers hopefully so the causal reader can simply enjoy but enough to satisfy those of you who like to keep track of such things!**


	3. Chapter 3: Out to sea

[[ Character bio #]] indicates a character sheet—you can find them located in my other story Character Sheets. Look for the chapter title that matches this chapter.

 _Indicates system announcements_

* * *

I awoke to someone shaking my shoulder.

"Ma'am, we sail in a bit. Sergeant Hilik told us you were needing a ride."

A rough sounding voice disturbed my nap. Grumpily I cracked an eye and looked up at him.

"Not a ma'am—'M a Jasmine."

"Miss Jasmine it is then." The marine grinned down at me as he offered a hand up.

I sighed and accept the hand up before dusting off the sand and grabbed my bags. I checked my stats and saw that I'd slept 2 hours and gotten 200 stamina back and my spirit bar was full. "Thanks for coming to find me. I didn't mean to miss the ship coming in."

He shrugged. "It's no issue. Gets me out of hauling the prisoners below decks. The name's Private Gregor." He held his hand out to shake, which I did.

"Is there food on board? I have some munchies but I didn't pick up too much food." Probably should have gotten some more food rather than clothes but a girl has her priorities!

"Dinner will be in about an hour."

We walked towards the large ship that loomed over the smaller caravel next to it.

"What's going to happen to the pirate's caravel?" I asked curiously. I couldn't have it but I did want to know what marines did with the ships.

"This one will be sailing with us actually. It's in really good repair and it saves us from having to commission new ships. They'll probably transfer it to the Grand Line since their captain apparently paid extra money to have it coated special. Normally ships in the Blue seas don't need the extra coating, but the Grand Line is harsh and the coating keeps the wood safer and hardens it."

"Nice." Apparently my observation earlier had missed it; I was too low level or just not skilled in the right thing. "Can I help out on board? Just sitting around will get pretty boring."

"You'll have to ask the Captain or Lieutenant to be sure. But what can you do."

"I know the basics of sailing, can sing, brew a bit, fight…" Read forbidden languages—not mentioning that ever! "I'd like to learn more about sailing, like navigation or just broaden my knowledge as is."

"Well if you're willing to learn, somebody will be willing to teach! But since you know the basics already just tell Captain or Lieutenant that and they'll probably put you in the riggings. We're always stretched thin on the prisoner ships since we have to guard and sail with limited amounts of space and personnel."

"Thanks! Can you show me where things are on board? And where not to go." I should probably avoid the prisoners since I put some of them there! And bathrooms; I hope they have a bath but that's probably not happening.

"You'll be bunking with our Lieutenant who is also the first mate; she's the only female on board and said she'd share her cabin so you could be safe." He sounded a bit amused at this for some odd reason.

"I can take care of myself." I said. "Though she's very kind to offer." Maybe she had a bath?

"Ma'am! Private Gregor here with the passenger Jasmine!" My guide suddenly barked out as he straightened up and gave off a snappy salute; a complete 180 from the earlier lazy aura he gave off. I looked at the woman he was addressing; she was taller than me by a good foot and built like a beast. A beautiful streamlined beast at that! Talk about muscular perfection! Feminine but oh so deadly. Her short cut red hair was slightly wavy and held back by some black barrettes. Perfectly tanned skin that accentuated her sharp cheekbones and muscles. Warm dark brown eyes you could drown in- dear lord, I'm getting poetic! This is bad.

"Welcome aboard the Gilded Lily." Her voice was super deep; it practically resonated in my bones! I wish my voice was that deep and epic and soothing and just... wow. I think I have a crush.

"I am Lieutenant Alyna, first mate of the Lily."

"I'm Jasmine, ma'am. Thank you for letting me bunk with you." I manage to say without embarrassing myself.

"The honor is mine. It would be unchivalrous of me to do otherwise! Is there anything you will be needing while you sail with us?"

"Um… I don't know if you have it but a bath?" She could talk to me all day! I saw Gregor smirk at me from the corner of my eye. The cad! He knew this would happen! Alyna just radiated power, honor, princely sparkles and safety. I'll have to get him back for this. You should warn a girl about situations like this!

"Ahh- I can help out on board! I know the basics of sailing, how to rig and –and stuff… I can also entertain with songs if it's needed. I also have an erhu I was thinking of learning to play." I offered and fought back the tide of red I just knew was trying to attack my face. Down embarrassment! Down!

"A musician and a fighter?" She gave a delightful smile and I swore there was the sound of maidens swooning... oh wait that was probably me. "You are quite the gem! If you would report to the quartermaster at first light he can assign you to help the crew. We rotate shifts a lot so when you are off shift we do have a bench in front of the mess where your music should be able to reach the majority of the ship." A call from the captain drew her attention and I shot Gregor a glare before turning back to the lovely Lieutenant.

"It appears I have duties to attend to. Gregor, make sure you show her where she'll be staying. There is a bath in my quarters that you may use. There's less than an hour before dinner begins to be served so you'll need to bathe quickly if you wish to beat the first round. Otherwise the second shift serves dinner in three hours." She nodded and walked away. I stared in silence for a bit.

"You knew this would happen." I said mildly to Gregor who snickered.

"Happens every time. She has a fan group of pirates and marines!"

I punched his shoulder; "Warn a girl about things like this! We need time to prepare our hearts for such glorious visions."

"But the reactions are so funny! And varied!" He rubbed the spot I'd punched with a loud laugh and led me onward. "Lieutenant is special. I hear they hide her from the world nobles so that she doesn't get stolen."

I wrinkled my nose. The filthy nobles would just demand and the lovely lady would be forever reduced to being one of their arm candies! Never!

"I take it that she's on this ship so that pirates see her on purpose? I bet she gets a looooot of recruits. She's like a walking poster child of honor and prince-ly aura's and perfection!"

He laughed but didn't deny it. "Here's her cabin. The mess is located on the bow of the ship, through the double doors."

30 minutes of heaven later; I emerged from the cabin all squeaky clean. Also apparently bathing grants back stamina. I am now the proud owner of 310 stamina. Resting gets me 20 per hour and I was only in there for half an hour so it must be the bath! All hail the powers of cleanliness!

Feeling a bit better I headed to the mess hall; perhaps I could sing a bit tonight or find a teacher for my various skills. Even if I didn't have the actual skill for it I bet I could still learn a bit about how the erhu worked, it just wouldn't be able to be used for Bardic Magic.

* * *

My days took on a routine; spend the morning working the rigging and leveling up Sailor, early afternoon I learned to play my erhu from a sailor, late afternoon I sang, evening I learned from the navigator on duty for a bit. Sparring occurred either in the morning before the riggings if I got up early enough or right before dinner. The marines were kind enough to let me join in; it was how I managed to get the most amount of experience since leveling up skills didn't advance up my actual Level.

On day two my Mind and Body both went up by one through strenuous exercise and using my brain to learn new skills without skill points.

On the third day I found myself leveling up in the middle of a spar. It was against the lovely Alyna too; she'd almost beaten me when the level up hit.

 _You have overcome a handicap!+10 experience for fighting despite your crush!_

It was the last 10 I needed and the immediate refilling of my stamina and health made me grin as I dodged her incoming blow. As much as I enjoyed watching her fight, I needed to not be distracted by beauty and I'd tossed my glasses aside earlier. Now I leaped up from the deck and continued the fight; I was going to fight to win! Her blows here heavy and fast; it felt like getting punched by a rock!

I tried for speed and lots of small hits, trying to wear her down as I dodged and set up for a leaping attack. Eventually I managed to set it up; leaping up I swung with all my might, trying to put down the glorious beast that I was sparring. Sure she was gorgeous—but I wanted to win!

The Lieutenant laughed and braced herself, an odd black gleam shone on her crossed arms as my bamboo staff hit—and broke.

 _Loss vs Lieutenant Alyna (spar) +40 exp_

"….. I call cheating." I said as I stared at my broken weapon before glaring at the taller woman. "That black stuff—Is that the… Haki I've heard about?" While I'd 'heard' of it from my skill lists I had never actually seen it nor figured out what they looked like.

A glorious chuckle was my response as she nodded. "Buso-shuki no Haki. Some call it Armament Haki. I specialize in it."

She had to have 20's in her Spirit and Body to grab that skill! No wonder she was so strong!

"Gregor! Fetch a new staff for our guest! Shion- pull it from my pay. I broke it so I will replace it." Alyna turned to the quartermaster who nodded.

"Most do not know of Haki unless they are from the grand Line." Alyna stated curiously. "Where did you hear of it Jasmine?"

"I'm from Ohara. I read a lot." I answered with a shrug. "I've got a book of legends with me right now actually that mentions haki and a lot of the feats legends of the past used it for." Not saying I learned of it from character creation!

"Ah! The Tree of Knowledge! That explains much." She nodded with a faint smile. "Most of the people from Ohara are researchers searching for lost places… are you going to join your fellows?" She asked it easily as if it was a simple question. To me it felt like a loaded question and I merely smiled and shook my head.

"Nah, just out to see the world, learn new things… eventually own a floating tavern where I can brew and sing while still traveling and letting others taste the delicious drinks of my home!" And search for lost ruins, and treasure and read Poneglyphs. But that was far too much like a pirate so I didn't mention it.

"You did mention you brewed earlier." Gregor said as he came back with a new staff. "What do you know so far?"

"Sweet Ohara Sake, Sinbad's Sinful Wine, and Sparrow's Rum!" I chirped, "My teacher gave me a guide on what tools I'd need for when I finally manage to get a ship or set up shop."

"It is good to have a dream. Especially one so caring as yours! Most leave home for glory but here you wish to share the bounties of your homeland." Alyna declared enthusiastically. "You will have to contact us when you find your dream ship and start off!"

"We'll have a huge party there!" Gregor yelled happily. "Ohara sake is the best!"

"I prefer the sake of Sabadody." Shion said with a laugh. "Though Sparrow rum is rather good as well."

"I do intend to have more than just those three." I laughed. "I'm intending on learning from the various places I visit and collect as many recipes as possible!" I looked at the staff; it was made of redwood with small iron bands along it. It dealt a little bit more damage than my other one but looked far sturdier; perhaps it would hold up better than simple bamboo.

"Thank you very much!" I said as I bowed in thanks. It was something I hadn't realized I would need. But if I was to make it to Grand Line, I would run into a lot more devil fruit users and this would probably save my life. I took my leave of the marines as they headed to dinner; instead I headed to take a bath and level up.

I'd gained a stat point, feat as well as a skill point for level 3! Odd numbered levels were so nice!

 _Stat point (1 stored)_

 _Skill Points: (1 stored): They may be used to level up an existing skill or used to gain a new skill._

 _Feats (1 stored)_

I could learn the erhu! Or I could learn Navigation… Or any skill honestly! My stats were not high enough for me to grab any of the Haki's sadly. I could increase my brewing since I wasn't going to be able to level it sometime soon… I sighed. No that would be a bad idea; save that for later. I need to grab something useful.

 _Navigation- Level 1 (limit 3) 0% to next level. You know how to use maps, stars, and compasses to guide a ship. Further increasing will allow you to sail without stars, maps, or compasses._

Since I was here and there was already a willing teacher; I could advance this as fast as I could. Teachers made leveling skills faster after all! Maybe I could max it by the time we leave.

Now for feats. While in the bath I scrolled through them all, noting the increased number of them all. A few caught my eye.

 _Bring Me Meat!: Eating Meat replenishes health faster. The more delicious the food the more health it grants back. Meat also decreases the effects of lingering Wounds._

 _Calm Mind: You can keep calm under stressful situations. You cannot receive a Panicked status effect. +2 to Mind stat._

 _Defensive Fighting: You specialize in fighting defensively. Your opponents damage is halved but you deal half damage as well._

 _Loot Senses Tingling: Your ability to sniff out loot and find it is impressive: you can practically hear the gold calling you! +1 Luck_

 _Second Wind: One per week you may use this ability to get a second wind while in battle. It returns 50% of your missing Health, Stamina, and Spirit._

 _Sleeping Beauty: Sleeping doubles the amount of your regeneration while asleep. It also removes all status effects and reduces the effects of Wounds._

Being able to regen faster would be nice; as would being able to just eat and regain health! Right now I was restricted by how long I could train by my stamina; as such I grabbed Sleeping Beauty. As I leveled up I would grab the rest.

And last but not least: stat points. I wanted a 20 in Mind and Spirit for Observational Haki. But speed was what I used a lot in fights, and I knew by exercising and learning I increased my mind and body passively, though it was taking longer to increase it each time. Maybe if I do some speed training like dodging while running it would help increase speed.

Spirit was lagging behind a bit so I increased that.

[[Jasmine ch 3 bio 1]]

The coming week went by rather quickly; I did not quite reach level 4 by the time we docked at Kellbar Island, though I had managed to max out sailor, navigation, bo staff, and singing. Now if only I had a floating brewery already! I really wanted to brew some drinks! I had some ideas I'd written down for non-alcoholic drinks but had no way of creating them just yet.

I waved good bye to the crew; I'd grown rather fond of them during the week and a half I'd sailed with them. Marines were nice people! Least these ones were; I blame Alyna for that. She'd actually managed to convince half the prisoners to become marines and turn over a new leaf! All hail the glory, might, and beauty of LT Alyna!

I headed into town, squinting in the bright sun. Perhaps a purchase of a new hat was in order. My combat boots hit the ground with a satisfying sound as I sauntered into town. I was feeling good but a bit lost. Where to go from here? I had my goal; a floating tavern where I lived and sang and brewed. Now I needed experience so I could make a name for myself and become strong enough to defend it! I would serve both pirates and marines! It'd be a neutral ground; but to do that I would need to be strong enough to inforce my rules and keep people from destroying my place.

Also to travel the Grand Line and 4 blue seas and collect all the brewery recipes I could! And go visit all the places in my book of legends. And learn ancient history. Wow I had a lot of dreams!

It would mean I needed to either start my own crew or join one. I was probably going to join a pirate crew; even if it meant disappointing LT and Gregor! Pirates just had the freedom to do what they wanted so long as they could get away with it!

A bold headline caught my attention and I bought the newspaper to read it:

Pirate King Gold Rogers Captured! World Government Declares an Execution Date!

* * *

 **AN: dun dun dun! A slightly smaller chapter but a fun one I hope :3 If you find any issues please toss me a message so I can fix it! I did some back editing as I figured some errors out but since I'd written 3 chapters then changed some stuff there might be items I missed.**

 **Thanks for the reviews as well! It makes my day when I see those happy messages!**

 **See Jasmine ch 3 bio 2 for updated stats.**


	4. Chapter 4: Free Kellbar! part 1

I sat at a small café and read the newspaper before blindly staring at the words as visions of my false past surfaced.

Gol D. Rogers- a pirate I had heard of who was called the Pirate King. His crew hadn't been seen in over a year. A man declared public enemy number one but known across the oceans as the richest pirate around. He was also called one of the strongest.

I blinked and refocused on the pages; perhaps I ought to go see the execution and honor the greatest pirate. It felt… right. It felt like it was something important for me to do; something from before this life that mattered. Like his death needed to be witnessed and his life honored. Weird… but it felt right so I decided to do so. Plus Logue Town was supposedly a good place for East Blue Pirates to pass through on their way to the Grand Line. Perhaps I'd find people there to join? East is supposedly the weakest so I ought to find people my level there!

I reached into my bag to pull out the log book I'd taken from the pirate I'd defeated during the tutorial. Something I'd read there was important though I couldn't recall what: something about an entry town to the Grand Line. My studies of the world map had indicated that the world was bisected by two lines; the Grand and Red Lines. The Red line went north to south and was made up of land; it was also the only real continent on this world. The Grand Line was a line of strange islands with a calm belt on either side of it; weird weather, strange magnetic fields, and even odder residents lived there. Where they crossed at one point was a strange mountain that was apparently the entrance to Grand Line. Otherwise you had to go through the calm belts or a Marine Base in the Red Line to reach Grand Line.

Portal Town. I smiled as I found the page. Bloody Bergaher had made notes on it since he wanted to one day go to Grand Line. It was the Logue Town for West Blue; I would have to pass through it to get to Reverse Mountain to reach both Grand Line and East Blue and Logue Town.

Well first I need to reach Portal Town! My musings were broken by the sudden silence descending upon the street. I looked up and noticed a group of Marines passing by—a group of blank faced Privates following some arrogant looking Captain as he swaggered through. The silence came from the villagers as they all parted ways and looked the other way; tightened lips and glares following the men's backs. I had good experiences with the marines so far but something held me back from calling out or approaching. Why would the villagers act this way?

Taking some time I observed the town and listened in on some conversations. The street and the buildings looked worse for wear: several of the shops were boarded up and had what looked like burn scars along their sides. The yards all looked slightly wilted, like the owners just didn't have the energy or cared to water them anymore. The people looked gaunt, scared, and angry. It looked like they were barely scraping enough food to make it; the state of their clothing only emphasized it. They were angry about it too, but too scared to do anything apparently.

"Can't believe people like _him_ exist." One shop owner hissed to another. "Not only do we have to pay pirates to not hurt us, the marines don't do anything and take pay offs!"

"Some honor… I'm disgusted my son left to join the marines years ago…" The customer scowled and the other woman quickly reassured them.

"Oh I bet John is the right sort! The sort who would actually stand up to those thieving pirates and fake marines!"

I approached and offered a harmless smile.

"I couldn't help but over hear you… any trouble I might be able to help with?"

"Oh lass… best you be moving on," The shop keeper sighed. "Wouldn't want to get you all wrapped up in our mess! One day that Captain's corruption will be found out and we'll be safe again."

"Ah—but I am trained to fight. And I would hate to leave behind some situation where I knew I could help." I responded calmly. Looks like the marines were not all shiny and sparkly like Alyna made it look! There was corruption too; made me feel a bit better about not joining them. "At least give me some details; if it is too dangerous I promise not to start anything." Ha, yeah right! But it calmed the older woman down so a white lie was okay right? "And if nothing else I need to investigate so I can report it in the next town!" That settled it and they spilled the beans.

 _ **Quest: Free Kellbar!**_

 _The Island and Town are under the control of a pirate gang that is paying off the marines in the area. Solve the issue one way or another and save the town!_

 _Optional: Personally defeat the Pirates!_

 _Optional: Personally defeat the Marines!_

 _Rewards: +1 Stat Point, +100 exp, Reputation bonus, + optional quest rewards_

Oh nice! Not only would I get some extra experience but a free stat point! Reputation I could care less about; I needed levels if I was to survive Grand Line! First things first; take out the bandits and steal their stuff. Turn over the beri's to the town so they can rebuild and survive. Then take out the marines and do the same. Also call Hilik from the tutorial island since his denden mushi number had been scrawled on a piece of paper among the beri bills he'd handed me- along with a note that had been washed away when some water had gotten on it. That ought to get them a non-corrupt officer and get the captain brought to justice!

 _Planning and Preparation is half the battle! +1 Mind for thinking actions through._

Stashed my stuff in the inn I was staying at and took an empty duffel bag with me; I would need some way of storing any items I found and the money after all! Then I asked the front desk if they had a denden mushi I could borrow.

-brrrriiinnggggg-bbbrriiinn—

"Sergeant Hilik speaking." Came the familiar voice.

"Hello Hilik. It's Jasmine! Just calling in to report you have a corruption issue in Kellbar Island. The marine captain and a pirate crew have an extortion scam running. "

"… You know when I gave you my number this was not what I expected…"

"I know. But yours is the only one I have and I'm about to go in and do something rash. I figured if I die best someone knows about it so this town can get saved! I'm off—time to go be a dashing hero once more." I chuckled as he tried to dissuade me and hung up. If nothing else it'd get them moving; something would be done even if I failed.

 _+40 experience for ensuring the safety of the Village_

Wait really… ensuring that they get saved no matter what nets me stuff NOW? Well.. I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth! Made me that much closer to leveling up. I took a deep breath and grinned; full up on all three bars, people to save, and some experience to win!

I crept through the late afternoon towards the far side of the bay where the bandits had set up camp in one of the caves. I would need to deal with about 15 people right now; two of which had bounties. Iron Morty for 5,000,000 and Gladwin 'Foul' Rogue for 8,000,000. Apparently real bounties were in the millions rather than the silly tutorial bounty I got! I can see my brewery ship funds increasing already!

I sat down and waited, eyes and ears focused as I checked the surrounding light woodlands that covered this side of the island. Plenty of tree growth and lack of shrubbery made it easier on my fighting style; I could start off with an attack from above after I took out some of their sentries. The sounds of laughter and revelry made me think they'd just had a good haul in or were planning on going into town soon.

I waited a bit to see where all the sentries were; there were two facing me and only one facing the sea. The sea sentry I probably couldn't be able to take out with someone in the cave noticing; but the two near me would be easy! The fact they were drinking and dicing might have something to do with that.

I crept close and paused, gathering my spirit and stamina for a strong double blow; aimed at the back of their heads. I felt the spirit leave my body and surge through my arm into my staff; almost like it was aiding my aim… was that… an aspect of Luck? If you used your spirit you could get a critical hit off or something? I would have to investigate once I was in a safe area!

 _+30 exp for taking out 2 pirates._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

 _Level up! Stat bars refilled._

 _+50 to health, spirit, or stamina. +1 Stat point._

Two down; 13 to go! I cannot believe I leveled off of THESE. I was hoping to do so in the fight with the bountied pirates but looks like I was out of luck there. Apparently an ambush was almost as much experience as a weak pirate! I would have to keep using this tactic.

I dragged the unconscious men off behind some trees and used their belts to tie their feet and hands together. Then I waited for the next two guards shift change and took them out the same way as they looked around in confusion for their missing friends.

 _+30 exp for taking out 2 pirates._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

Rinse and repeat! I wasn't sure how long it would last but so long as it worked I wasn't complaining. I had to go back and knock the earlier ones unconscious again as I was waiting for the third shift. Then I got bored; surely they would notice no one had returned?

…

…

Two hours _later_ ….

"Hey Isobe! Kris! You guys going to come join in the celebration?" A drunken call echoed in the night as someone finally came to check! They were too drunk to actually pay attention apparently. He fell just as fast to a hard blow from behind. I moved slightly closer after repeating my tying up process.

 _+15 exp._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

Then I paused and looted them all; taking anything of value I found. It wasn't much, but there was some nice pieces of stolen jewelry, a few wallets that hadn't been emptied of beri's and a nice knife. One had this cute hat; it smelled clean unlike the rest of him; he must have stolen it recently. Or bought it… It was a jean blue grey color with a small slightly floppy brim to keep out the sun. I decided to add a cute ribbon to it to make it even cuter.

And I waited…

…

And waited…

…

An hour later a group of 4 came stumbling out. You know how when you think of a fight with evil tyrants you think lots of shouting, lots of blood, lots of chaos? There was none of that. Just.. lame _**lame**_ pirates. Lame pirates who didn't appear to be thinking about WHY none of them came back! Uh hello people; if your guards don't report in SOMETHING'S WRONG!

I fumed in silence as I glared down at them from my perch in the trees.

"Guuuyyyyyssssss. Why're ye ouuutt heeeerrreee? Is there a good game of dice goin' on?" One of them called as he stumbled over to a tree to relieve himself. Him I left alone so he could finish and pull his pants up; the rest I attacked from the tree tops.

Jumping down silently I landed in the middle of them, my staff swinging in a wide circle to trip them all up. Then I bashed them over the heads one by one before they could get up. Then I approached the pissing man who was staring at me dumbfounded with his pants half off.

"You are a disgrace to pirate's everywhere." My tone was disappointed as I slammed the staff end into his chin and knocked him out. This was ridiculous! Note to self; do not drink when you are expecting danger; it apparently makes you dumb and slow. Which makes sense but why was this going too easily?

 _\+ 60 exp for taking out 4 Pirates._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

6 left to go and dusk was falling; time to end this. Waiting was too boring and I didn't want to jinx myself. So I crept over to the sea side and took out that guard by the same way. The sounds of drunks made me a bit less worried about being spotted, but I kept an eye out anyways.

 _\+ 15 exp._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

5 to go.

Slipping inside, I peered into the flickering light of the large bonfire. 3 were dancing around it; that left 1 in unknown locations. I was guessing from the looks of the dancers they were more weak ones. If I take out them then all that is left is the boss battle so to speak! But if I took them out; I glanced at my experience quickly: I would level up and I needed to save that for the boss battle.

I shrugged; better to take them out now then fight a large group! I was on my own and didn't have a group of marines to watch my back this time.

I charged in, silent and focused, activing my simple monkey style so that once my blow hit another on the back of the head I leaped to the next foe, burning extra spirit to ensure the shot hit. I grinned as once more my staff shifted as if guided and thwacked the startled pirate right between the eyes.

 _\+ 30 exp for taking out 2 pirates._

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

"Intruder!" The last one at the fire called out.

"I've taken out all the others except you and one other." I replied calmly. "They will not come to aid you."

He snarled and grabbed a rolled up piece of paper from his belt.

"Don't you know who we are? We're the Foul Rogues! Our captain's worth 8 million beri and I'm Iron Morty! 5 million!" He held it out proudly, as if the piece of stained paper would make me flee or bow down in awe.

"That's 13 million extra reasons to take you out." I said as I finished charging my leaping smash and launched myself at the smaller man. He was covered in a lot of small iron plates—it would do nothing to protect his head though! Armor only works if you wear it everywhere.

He cursed wildly and braced himself for the blow, much like Alyna had except he had no shiny black haki to protect him like she did. I heard him cry out in pain as I broke one of his arms as I bounced back slightly and went in for another lunge, hoping to get a strong shot off so that I could end this and look for the last one, the Captain probably. Unless one of the weaklings was the Foul Rogue… in which case I was disappointed!

My distracted thoughts caused me to be slow on dodging, and his axe slammed into my thigh and cut deeply into it. Gritting my teeth so only a hiss escaped I pushed aside the pain and panic that hit and threw half of my spirit into this next blow; it needed to hit! It needed to take him out! Thigh wounds were dangerous; they could bleed out too fast if the major artery was hit!

Charging up my attack with Spirit, I flipped my staff end upwards as I lunged and used my other hand to smack the axe blade aside as it came in. The staff end connected with a loud snap and threw his head backwards. My breath caught for a moment; I hadn't killed him had I? As he fell I quickly checked to make sure he was breathing before I tore my shirt to bandage the thigh wound.

 _+50 exp for defeating First Mate Iron Morty_

I stood up again as I heard someone stirring beyond the light down a tunnel. I checked my bars; I was at half everything except for spirit and I had the boss to go. Lovely.

"Morty! You had better have a good reason for calling me! I was having a good dream…" The large disgusting man pouted as he came into the light. My nose wrinkled as the stench hit; he apparently had never bathed in his life! Rotten food, stale sweat, blood, and other smells all combined and made me want to puke. He wasn't a pretty picture either; large and bulbous his muscles were hid beneath a thick layer of fat, his swarthy skin was covered in thick dark hair and stains. His barbaric attire was made of stinking uncured hides and poorly stitched together metal plates. Foul Rogue indeed!

"… You… what have you done, woman?!" He roared after a few seconds of blinking and taking in the scene before him, the fallen bodies and the splatter of my blood upon the ground near Morty. I had to use those few seconds to recover from the stench that rolled off of him and couldn't take advantage of his pause.

"Took out some idiots." I stated blandly, pushing the pain aside as I prepared for another strike. "Morty was the only one to even lift a blade or see me coming."

His lower lip started to quiver and I recoiled in shock. "You… you hurt my family? You.. you think they're idiots? My boys?" Despair and sadness filled his voice and large tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. Oh dear lord- no… no!

"They- they were terrible at keeping watch. Maybe drunk. It was rude of me to call them idiots. I apologize." I stammered in a futile attempt to stop the tears; large grown men who looked like they were half bear half trash can did not get to cry like a little boy and make me feel guilty!

He preys on the villagers, he preys on the villagers. I repeated the mantra in my head as he sat down and started wailing.

"You.. you're so mean!"

Oh gods…. I ran a hand down my face and sighed.

"Can we get to the fighting part? You know... where you valiantly avenge your family? They're all alive you know. I just knocked them out."

He stared at me, face even with mine even though he was sitting on the ground, and blinked.

"My boys are alive?"

"Yes…. I don't like killing. Though Morty might need a doctor soon since his neck might have gotten hurt in that last fight."

"My.. my boys!" He charged at me with a turn of speed I was not expecting. I braced for the impact of his fist and rolled with it, using his strength to get me space to breath. The damage to my health bar made me grateful that I'd leveled up after Morty… though apparently my spirit bar had taken a hit from the guilt attack! Is that even possible?

Ack! Think later, fight now! I ducked under another punch and lashed my staff out at his knee, doing my very best not to think of the smell as my head got a bit too close to his arm pit.

He grunted with pain and twisted to try and grab me. I leaped away, wincing as I landed on my wounded leg. We ducked and dodged and fought for several minutes; him trying to grab and grapple me, I dodging and hitting his arms and legs, trying to break something so I could take him out. I couldn't keep dodging though, I could feel my leg starting to tremble and knew I had to end it fast before it gave out.

In the end he made a mistake as my stamina and health bars were getting dangerously low; he stepped into the embers that had spread from the fire pit during our pit. Howling in agony he hopped on the uninjured foot, dropping his weapon to grab the smoking foot. I took the opening and smashed with all my strength the other foot, toppling the large man. As he wailed on the ground about mean shadow ladies who hit him with sticks, I used another huge chunk of spirit to guide my strike to knock him unconscious.

 _ **Optional Quest: Personally Defeat the Pirates Completed!**_

 _+50 exp for quest completion._

 _+50 exp for defeating the Captain Gladwin 'Foul' Rogue_

 _+50 exp for capturing the entire crew alive_

 _+20 Prestige_

 _ **Level up!**_

 _All status bars refilled._

 _+1 Stat point_

 _+1 Skill point_

 _+1 New Legendary Feat, Skill, or Item_

 _Assign at next rest._

I stood gasping over his limp body and took the opportunity to do some first aid on myself before tying him and the other pirates up. Then I went and dragged the other pirates into the cave and used more rope and the handy chains I found to make sure they were well tied up and wouldn't escape.

Then I did what every good adventurer did: loot the place dry!

I found only one large chest of money; they must not save a lot I thought with a frown before lugging it outside and hiding it so I could deliver it to the villager later. This was for the villagers! The other chests all held various items a pirate would need; food, clothing, weapons etc. I only took some of the food that looked good, the rest I left. Then I took a torch and headed into the stink of the cave, into the darkness Rogue had emerged from. There had better be something after this smell and the guilt attack!

There were two tunnels with dirty hangings acting as doors. I entered the nearest one that didn't smell so bad. It was… a brewery?! I gasped with delight at what I found in one room. It was a jury rigged one sure, and poor quality but it was a brewery! Except... I HAD NO SHIP TO PUT IT ON! I had found some actual transportable tools and couldn't even take them with me! Sure it was just a simply large cauldron like fixture where you mashed, boiled and stirred it in before you filtered it out and fermented it but still! I sighed and looked for recipes I could take or even just some bottles. Luckily they did have some of those; with poorly written labels.

'Foul's Rotgut.'

…

…

It sounded disgusting and the man who'd made it was disgusting… but maybe it would be okay? I took the recipe and some bottles just in case. Then I moved deeper and found the captains room.

Gross! Gross! NOOOOO~ I don't want to enter the evil den of stench and grime! But… for the loot! I took a deep breath of cleaner air and pulled my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth before I ventured inwards, watching as the torch flickered and grew slightly larger. Nasty… Holding my breath I could still smell it. The stench, it was almost visible it was so strong! If it actually became visible I was fleeing! No way was I taking on a stench so strong it cam alive!

I used my combat boots to kick open his chest and spill out the contents; jack pot! I grinned and quickly shoveled the rolling gemstones into my bag and looked at the rest. He had.. Molotov cocktails? These were…dangerous and I wasn't sure I wanted to take them; explosions were never a good thing but just in case….

The nicely carved set of figurines I pocked as well; they were a lovely pale red wood and looked to be of various princess's, knights, pirates, and even one dragon like one.

I felt rather bad taking them; the child like act of Foul Rogue made me think they were his toys... but he was being turned in anyways! He was extorting the villagers! It was… okay for me to steal from him…. Oh who am I kidding. I sigh and leave the room. It wasn't okay and I felt like a cad. I found a denden mushi sitting in the corner and grabbed that as well, it looked almost relieved to be leaving that room.

Once in the main cave I put the figurines in a bag and tied them to the large man's belt. I couldn't take them from him: I already felt guilty enough as is!

Then I tasted the rotgut cause… I might as well. And I felt like alcohol was needed. I needed something to help me forget the smell!

I sat by the beach and rested a bit, drinking my stolen brew and watching the moon set over the dark ocean.

It was surprisingly not bad.

"Could use some almonds… maybe some vanilla." I muttered as I swirled it around. I made some notes on his recipe, copied it down on another paper and slid that into his bag with the figurines as well. Then I finished it off, making more notes as I did so as ideas came to me.

Then I gave Hilik another call. It'd been about half a night since I called him and said I might die.

"I feel absolutely terrible, disappointed and disgusted!" I start off without introducing myself. "The pirates were… weak and unprepared and their leader is a large child man who cares for them like a family and cried when he thought they were dead. They were a shame to all fighters! All pirates!"

"… Jasmine?"

"They didn't notice anything! I was expecting danger and epic fights not… taking out an entire crew without them even noticing me! The only fights were at the end with the first mate and captain. That Foul Rogue has carved toys! Lovely things! He brews! Rather decently too… He cried for his crew when he thought they were dead—I fell so guilty…."

"Jasmine…"

"He smells though. Like a stench from hell. A stench rejected from hell! It's BAD! Like I-want-to-go-burn-my-nostrils-off bad. Chop-it-off-and-cauterize-the-opening-so-I-can-never-smell-him-again bad... but he makes a decent brew."

"JASMINE!"

"Yes?" I say awkwardly, realizing that his brew was either highly alcoholic or I was a light weight. Or both.

"Are you drunk?"

"Not yet but getting there apparently." Was I drunk calling someone? I only had this one number so it wasnt like I had a lot of people to call. And I felt the need to vent.

I hear a sigh from the other end. "So what happened? I take it you have taken out the pirates?"

"13 pirates captured with no deaths. Iron Morty unconscious, though I'm worried about his neck. Gladwin Rogue captured as well. He'll need some medic to take care of the burns since I don't know how to do that."

"… Any wounds?"

"Nasty thigh cut but it's not bleeding anymore and I can still use it. Is there any way to get non corrupt marines here? I want my bounty!" I chirp brightly as I opened another bottle.

"The caravel that was with the Gilded Lily has turned back with a crew on it to come clean up and back you up. They'll be there mid-morning, wait for them to arrive—"

"Maaaaybe I'll wait. Maaaaybe I'll go in swinging! Think you can talk to LT Alyna and convince her to get Rogue to take a bath? And maybe open a brewery instead of being a pirate?"

"Jasmi—" I hung up and stretched. Right. I had only a few hours to rest before I went after the pirates! I mean… marines.

I sat outside by the beach and pulled up my screen, squinting as the words seemed to move, creating doubles of the words. Stupid screen needs to stay still—how's a girl supposed to level up if she can't read! Despite the terrible guilt and pathetic showing on their part, the pirates had given me two levels! It helped make up for this night. I noticed a small sentence on top of the screen.

 _New Skill Discovered:_

 _Guilt Attack: saps the opponent's spirit._

 _New Skill Learned:_

 _Critical Strike: Spend 100 Spirit to double the damage dealt and aid in striking your target in a critical location_.

You could weaponize guilt? Cool! I grinned and scrolled through my character sheet to level up.

First things first: legendary stuff… hmm... feat, skill or item… Since I was only level 5 I doubted I'd be able to use a legendary item so I tossed that out. I think Feat. Feats were cool! I didn't want more skills, I wanted cool things! I tap that one and frowned when I saw how small the list was. Maybe I had to be higher level before I could even see more of the feats? A bit disappointing that; I wanted to know what I could work towards! I almost hit back when I noticed one that really caught my eye:

 _Legendary Water Affinity: You have an affinity for the element water. While in water you can swim faster, attack as per normal, and regenerate faster. Elemental Martial Arts(water) is doubled in effectiveness. Can have only one major or Legendary affinity feat and one minor affinity feat._

I grin: now this is what I'm talking about! Now I need elemental martial arts and I'd be bad ass! I could be a mermaid! Without the tail but oh well.

I assigned my +50 to health; I needed to be able to take more damage and I knew increased my mind and body would grant me greater increases anyways. The stats I placed in spirit and speed. Spirit so I could reach Observational Haki, speed cause I needed it. My entire fighting style was based off speed!

For my skill I tried to use to grab Elemental Martial Art but I ran into a message

 _Requires a teacher to learn. Requires level 10 Martial Arts to Learn._

That sucked. I pouted and then spent it in Brewing. I could probably grab something else but I wanted to raise that up! I was also tipsy and not thinking too straight.

Then I went to take a nap in the ocean; I needed to regen a bit and water would speed that up! Probably not my brightest idea….

[[Jasmine bio 1]]

* * *

 **AN: and the faceoff with the marines is next chapter! This went… totally different than where I was planning XD In the end I like it better. Jasmine needs to not level up while tipsy. Or sleep in the ocean.**

 **I had to recalculate and edit things after I realized I had done my experience tracking wrong! Oh math.. you do so love to throw wrenches in my plans.**

 **I have this idea that Jasmine will keep drunk calling Hilik after something major. Cause it's fun and I think she'll be out int eh area alone and feel the need to talk to someone.**


	5. Chapter 5: Free Kellbar! part 2

I awoke to ice cold water lapping at my face. Salty ice cold water. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and staggered up; why did I sleep in the ocean again? Oh right—tipsy thoughts about getting back more of my health and stamina. I checked and saw they were at a fourth of their total with spirit at half. It had been worth it… if you discounted the salt coating my face, hair and shirt. Or the cold wet clothes that clung uncomfortably. Or the ache of sleeping on rocks and in cold water… I wasn't sure it was worth it.

I looked up and saw the sun just rising; I have only a few hours to do this before reinforcements arrive and I don't get that optional quest benefits. I went back in and knocked out the few pirates that were waking up and struggling once more before heading into town, lugging the chest of stolen goods and beri's over one shoulder. I saw some marines at the gate and stopped when they requested it.

"May we ask your business?" He eyed my wet condition and chest slung over my shoulder with wariness.

"I just went diving!" I said cheerfully. "Going to my inn now to change and rest. I checked in yesterday."

He nodded dubiously but since I wasn't too threatening looking he let me in. Or maybe it was the grin and early morning diving excuse. I headed straight to the stall of the owner who had started this quest; hoping she would be there. Breathing out a sigh of relief out when I spotted her setting up her market stall I approached her quickly.

"I've got a ... delivery for you." I said with a smirk once I got close enough. "Found it in a certain cave we both know of- liberated it you could say." Her eyes widened and she looked around as well. "Is there a person I can return this to? Someone to make sure it stays hidden and everyone gets their… stuff returned?" I made sure not to say out loud what I was carrying just in case someone might be listening in and run off to tell the corrupt marine what I'd done.

"Louis at the Whalebone tavern. He works as a banker for a ... certain bank." She whispered.

"Thank you so much!"

"It's not over yet, there's still one rotten tree to fell. Help should be here before lunchtime. Think you can send a few people up to that cave I mentioned? The… people I have tied up there shouldn't wake for a while but just in case there should be people watching to make sure they stay put." I gave her a nod and headed off. She'd said a banker for a certain bank; he wouldn't happen to be a Bank of Jones operative would he? If so—I needed to stash loot with him! But first—a quick bath and change of clothes and breakfast.

Cleaned up and with my wounds properly bandaged I headed with my chest of beri's to the tavern. Whalebone Tavern was a nice looking place; not fancy or outstanding but a solid and simple appearance. The walls were stone with dark oak logs acting as the supports and breaking up the stonework. In front was a small patio area with some tables already set up. Inside the furniture was made of matching dark oak while the floor was a pale cherry wood. What stood out were the carpets and paintings that decorated the place. All had oceanic scenes on them. The carpets had wave patterns woven in with a ship or island set in the middle with sea creatures forming a border near the outside. Each painting depicted a ship during a different time of day and weather.

If this was a noble's house I'd steal every last one of them! Pity I don't have a house or boat to decorate them with.

As I was looking at the decoration the man at the bar was watching me. He was a tall broad man, skin weathered by years at sea into a leather like appearance. His bald head had a tattoo covering half of the area; the tattoo was a stormy ocean with a stylized whale.

"Not that I'm one to talk, but isn't it a little early to start drinking?" He said in an amused town. I grinned and shook my head.

"I was referred here by one of the shop keepers." I placed the chest on the bar with a satisfying thud. "I reclaimed some things stolen from them and she said you would be able to ensure it safely got distributed back to their owners." I was quite grateful I'd been increasing my body and doing training; otherwise it'd have taken far too much effort to actually haul the chest here!

"Stolen from a certain group that is hiding out in some caves?" He asked softly, eyes flashing to the door and windows to make sure no one was spying.

"Yup. Said groups been dealt with for now. I'm about to head off and wrap up the main instigator of it all in a bit in fact. Or at least keep an eye on em till my help arrives." He smirked at my words.

"Follow me then so we can get this stored away." He took the chest off the counter and headed through a door behind the bar. I followed him into what appeared to be his cellar. I sighed with envy; barrels lined the place, barrels of different brews from different breweries. One day I'd have a place like this!

"Where'd you get the paintings and carpets?" I asked curiously as I followed him through another door hidden behind one of the walls of barrels. "There's a lady in town who weaves them. The paintings are all from my daughter." His voice was thick with pride.

"Mmm. I'll have to commission both of them once I get my own ship or place. They're lovely! Can you give me their names?" I mentally opened up my game journal and made a note as he obliged. I would be coming back here for decorations!

"Marinna owns the Ocean Weavers store and has merchants deliver her goods throughout the Blue seas. I have a card of hers upstairs that I can give you once we are done. My daughter wanders about and doesn't; really have a good way of contacting her."

"Can I have your denden number then? I can set up a transaction through you." I eyed the bank vault he'd lead me into. "Are you an office of the Bank of Jones?"

His dark eyes glinted. "One of many. Do you know how much is in here?" He asked as he opened the chest and quickly began separating the beri's into different piles and putting the jewels off to the side.

"Nope! Can I set up an account later today? Once this issue is dealt with I can turn in the bounties of your pirate taxers plus I have some goods of my own to store."

"This chest contains more than they've taken from us. Not too much but if my calculations are right there should be enough to help reward you for your efforts. Come back after your done taking down that rotten marine captain and we'll get to setting it up and go over certain rules we have. I'll have the information you requested as well."

"Many thanks!" I chirped as I headed off. A few minutes of walking brought me to the forest bordering the marine's base. I spent the next hour memorizing the patrols around the place as I planned.

At first I had been going to sing my Inspiring Song- but then I realized that I had no way of broadcasting it. My denden mushi was a normal one; it couldn't reach more than one other denden at a time. I could try and sit here or maybe go in a perform… but that would take too long! I could just wait until the backup arrived.. but then I'd miss out on that optional quest!

But was an optional quest really worth it? These marines were wide awake and armed with guns; I had no way of dodging gunfire or blocking it! There were also more of them; at least a good twenty troops. The captain was in his room at the top of the marine base; who else had would wear that large jacket and suit set instead of the official uniform? I'd have to go after all the marines like I had the pirates; they couldn't all be innocent right? They were, after all, aiding the captain in this! If they were true marines they'd have not followed orders or fought to protect the townspeople! If you know it's a bad order you shouldn't follow it! Didn't they take oaths and stuff when they signed up?

As it was I decided to go the more intelligent and less likely to die route; keep an eye on the captain to make sure he didn't escape justice instead of going in swinging. As much as I wanted to take him out and complete that optional quest it was too dangerous. Maybe if my leg wasn't throbbing from the axe wound I'd have risked climbing the wall and scaling the building to reach the top room, but as it was I wasn't sure I'd be able too safely.

Grumbling I backed off and began to look for escape routes the captain had; surely he had to have one! If you went rotten you had to know someone would catch you one day and would have some way to get out safely right? I scoured the bay looking for small ships and found none. I looked at the sun and noticed it was almost noon; turning around I peered out to sea and spotted a familiar set of sails coming into the bay; it was the caravel the marines and I had liberated! Back up is here; now to make sure that man doesn't escape!

I snuck back to the base just in time to see a figure fleeing into the woods.

"Bingo." I whispered with a grin as I took off after him. He must have a boat off in another location! Unfortunately, my wounded thigh I couldn't keep pace with the fleeing marine.

As I paused and tightened my bandage and glared at the blood seeping through a thought occurred to me. I can reinforce my weapon with spirit—can I do that with my body? Would it dull the pain or strengthen my leg so I could keep running? I frowned with concentration and attempted it; what had I to lose? It felt weird; almost like I was pouring cold ice through my veins. I could see my spirit bar loose a small chunk as the ice settled into my legs but the pain remained. I tried to run a few steps to see if there were any changes and there was! I was faster! Each step took less time and covered more distance. The pain still existed and I flinched with each step but it was worth it! I maintained my input of spirit into my legs as I sprinted towards the last location I'd seen the figure fleeing. I soon caught up and finally managed to get a good look at him.

It was a man in a business suit; the same arrogant man I'd seen swaggering about the village yesterday. He was missing his marine captain's jacket though. He had the tanned skin of a sailor and a nasty series of scars stared one cheek and ended somewhere on his chest. His dark hair was slick with sweat and he looked pissed with a bit fear leaking into his eyes when he looked over his shoulder and spotted me.

"So you're the wench who took out the pirates…" He said with a growl as he stopped and drew his scimitar.

"Not all of them—you're still here after all!" I cheekily said as I leaped at him with my bo staff.

He blocked with his blade and I quickly backed off before it could slice into my bo staff. While redwood was harder than the bamboo of the old one blades were blades… and I didn't want to lose another weapon so soon!

"I am a marine captain!"

"Could've fooled me." I said as I ducked under his stab and swiped hooked my foot around his and kicked. "You act more like a bandit—not even going to honor you with the word 'pirate.'" I said with a laugh as I rolled away, trying to ignore the pain as a root connected with my wounded thigh. He answered with a growl and slashed at me from his prone position before he got to his feet again.

"Don't mock me! I am stronger than any bandit or pirate!" I leaped to one side avoiding his lunge and lashed out with a wide swing of my bo staff, putting in more spirit to make it hopefully hit. He staggered as it connected with the back of his head but didn't go down.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have forgotten your oaths and honor! What—did they not pay you enough and you thought you could steal from the very people you were supposed to protect?" I grimaced as I wasn't fast enough to dodge his backhand swipe and it cut into my ribs.

"You don't know anything!" He screamed as he twisted the blade deeper. I grabbed it with one hand, feeling it bite into my palm.

"I know enough to know you are trash." I said in a cold voice, angry that he wouldn't even admit he was wrong, that he'd become rotten and corrupt. That he spat upon every other marine and their justice! I gathered a third left of my spirit and stamina and pushed it into my bo staff as I swung it at him. His eyes widened as he realized my iron grip on his weapon meant he had to let go or get hit. He tried to duck while trying to pull his blade out but I was too fast and too close for him to dodge; it connected with a loud crack and he fell limp to the forest floor. "You're supposed to help people- not hurt them." I whispered to his fallen body as I pulled out the blade. It was deeper than expected and the bleeding quickly soaked my shirt. I tore at his shirt to make quick bandages to apply first aide to myself.

This is why I have that skill, I thought with tired amusement as I saw the bleeding effect vanish from my status bar once I tended to it. Now that I had time I pulled up the announcements to see what I'd gotten.

 _ **Optional Quest: Personally Defeat the Marines Partially Completed!**_

 _+15 exp for partial completion._

 _+50 exp for defeating Corrupt Captain Finnbar Lapain_

 _+10 exp for a live capture, +10 prestige_

 _ **Quest: Free Kellbar Completed!**_

 _Help has arrived and Kellbar is free once more!_

 _+1 Stat point, +100 exp, +10 prestige_

 _ **New Skill Learned:**_

 _Soru: A Rokushiki technique where the spirit is used to enhance speed. Level capped at 5 until Rokushiki style is learned or a teacher is found._

It has an odd name, I thought as I examined the new skill. What is Rokushiki? Is it a type of fighting style? If so, I need it! Pity I needed a teacher to learn more. I grabbed the captain and headed back to town. Time to see what had happened in town. The quest had been completed which meant the backup had to have arrived and done something right?

As I arrived back at the marine base I heard the sounds of one man yelling. Something about justice, disappointment and stuff; I sort of tuned it out since it wasn't focused at me. Probably those marines getting told, I thought with a smirk.

"One rotten captain delivered." I announced as I entered through the open gate and dropped the body. "He's alive still." I nodded respectfully to the tall marine who had been yelling at the group of marines standing sadly in a group in front of him. I recognized him from the Gilded Lily; he was the captain! Huh; why send him back instead of one of the lieutenants?

"Ah—Jasmine right? You called this in too if I recall right?" He turned to face me. I'd only seen him from a distance on the ship; he'd always been busy and I'd been too nervous to approach him. He had this air about him that made me unwilling to just approach and chat like I had with private Gregor or even the Lieutenants. I was no small woman; in fact I was a head above most the villagers! But this guy made me feel small, like a little girl playing soldier in the back yard. He had height and this aura of RESPONSIBLE ADULT who was TOO BUSY about him. Super serious and stern, not someone to approach causally.

"I did, sir. Took out the pirates last night; they're currently bound up in their cave. I asked the shop lady if she'd send some people to keep an eye on them so there might be villagers there."

He turned to look questioningly at some of the villagers who were happily watching off to one side.

"The blacksmith and his son are there right now sir—shall we show some of your men the way to the cave?" A woman, the same shop keeper who'd started this quest, spoke up.

"Please do." He nodded and turned back to me. "I appreciate the call as well as your aid in this matter—as well as waiting for us to arrive instead of trying to attack the base."

"I didn't want to try and take on a marine base on my own." I said with a polite smile. "Plus as far as I know it might just be the captain who's the rotten apple—the men were just following orders. Bad ones they should have known better to follow but still. It's what they're trained to do."

"A wise decision."

"Ah- I also returned the stolen loot to the villagers. It's been distributed already." I added for some odd reason; something about him told me to be as open and honest as possible. Maybe because he was the captain of a prison ship? That and I wasn't sure if I wanted him to know about the Bank of Jones since it was apparently illegal or 'officially did not exist.' "At least any treasure that the pirates had. Not sure about the captain here." I nudged the fallen man with my toe. I received an approving smile at this; like I was some student who'd showed up with all my homework done for once.

"It appears my Lieutenant was right about you. Are you certain you don't wish to join the marines? You certainly have the sense of justice and morals we look for! And are in need off too, apparently." His eyes narrowed and I could see the anger flash through them as he glared at his fallen compatriot.

"The offer is kind but;" I looked down at the corrupt captain I'd taken out as I paused and gathered my thoughts. "But I want to see the world, see new places, meet new people. Not follow bad orders simply because they came from a superior." The last bit was dry and I looked back up at the Captain. "I want to see where the wind takes me. Maybe once I've seen a bit more of the world I might join up; for now I have my own dreams to pursue." He nodded respectfully but I could tell I'd be getting more recruitment pitches again before I left. "I'm going to go see a doctor and get my wounds checked out for now. When shall I come pick up my bounties?"

"…Bounties?" He seemed confused at the sudden turn.

"Foul Rogue and his first mate Iron Morty." I clarified. "They were the pirates I took out."

"Ah." He eyed my bloody shirt for a second, "Stop by any time before you leave and we shall have it ready for you. Best you get tended too and feed yourself something. Eat some meat to help replenish your lost blood."

I nodded and left for the doctor's office. It was conveniently located next to the tavern, probably to make it easier on him finding patients after a tavern brawl!

On my walk back I kept being stopped and thanked by the villagers; for getting rid of the pirates as well as returning to them their money. I felt slightly guilty that I'd been doing it mostly for the quest and only partly for helping them. It made all their thanks feel like I was cheating them. Sure I'd also done it to help them… but it hadn't been my main thoughts until I'd gone after the marines!

While I was in the doctor's office, resting after he'd finished stitching up my side and thigh, I took the time to pull out a book and pretend to read while I browsed my guide book and tried to figure out a better way to level faster or find quests. The first five had come quickly but it was slowing down. I also needed a plan to keep leveling my various skills: if I ended up relying on leveling to get back all my lost stamina I'd never get anywhere! I need one of those feats that lets me recover faster; like that meat one for health or that Second Wind.

I looked up as the doctor came back in.

"Any idea on how long it'll be for me to heal up?" The ribs were not broken thankfully but the cut on my left hand meant I couldn't effectively use it at all and the leg wound was going to slow me down.

"If you take it easy and don't stress it;" his eyes told me he was doubtful about this fact; he'd be right too. "Then about a month for everything to be completely fine. Unless you've got a stronger body or strange blood than others like some pirates I've heard of, then it might be half that."

"Strange blood?" I tilted my head questioningly. "I know that there are different races out there but there are different types of humans?"

He grinned; "Strong marines and pirates often force their bodies to go beyond their limits. Doing so increases said limit if it doesn't kill them. From what I've seen it gets passed down to their kids sometimes. They heal faster and their body can take more than a normal person. You've got the beginnings of that from what I can tell. A normal person wouldn't just be limping after getting axed in the thigh."

"Ah;" I ran a hand through my bouncy hair with an embarrassed grin. "I guess I am a bit stronger than the normal person. Got any recommendations for how hard I can push myself without undoing all the healing? Or special stretches to keep the scars from crippling me?" I knew that some scars could cause the limb to lose some of its range of motion and I really didn't want that.

"You're safe from that. But I can write down a list for you just in case."

"Thanks! And for payment…?" I trailed off as he shook his head with a smile.

"Paid for already. You got rid of those hurting us and returned our lost money. It's the least I can do to get you back to full health!"

I flushed and tried to pay for his work but it was useless. Doctors knew how to say no and hold their grounds! I headed back to my inn to eat and sleep. It might have been barely past noon but I was exhausted! Plus sleep fills my status bars faster.

The next day dawned bright and early and I found the village in a much better mood than before. The tavern was filled with people gossiping and checking their new bank balances if the discreet pieces of paper Louis was handing out was any indicator. I waited for the rush to calm down and listened.

"I heard Captain Jasoor is here to stay!"

"Apparently he's sailed all around the world on his ship making sure captured pirates got taken to justice!"

"Apparently his wife and kid are coming here!"

"Where'd you hear that?"

"The new marines are all family men apparently and they were talking yesterday about how it would be nice to settle down finally."

"They all have family?"

"It was one of the things the new Captain made sure of when he picked em.. I bet he saw this as a chance to settle down and let his men be with their family's as well as clean up some scum."

"Sounds like a good man. If their families are here then we won't get stepped on I bet!"

Gossip let me finally know the Captain's name. Jasoor. You'd think being on his ship for over a week would have taught me it but nope: I only knew him as captain. And apparently a family man. Good for them I thought as I straightened up and headed over to Louis when he caught my eye and motioned for me.

"Watch the shop." He told the other man behind the bar as he lead me down back to the cellar. "Good job with the marines. It's a good thing you didn't attack the base: they'd have to put a bounty on you then."

"Wait… they'd put a bounty on me even if I'm just freeing a village from a corrupt marines?" I was shocked at this: I was being a hero!

"You attacked a marine base, ergo you are a pirate." He sighed and shook his head. "The World Government is not one to allow anyone to challenge them. And an attack on a base, no matter how justified, is an attack on them."

"I dodged a bullet there." I muttered. It was a good thing I had waited for him to run! Otherwise I'd be arrested by Jasoor!

"Indeed. But on to happier things! I've set up the account for you and used some of the extra money from that chest to pay for the first year's fees."

"Fees?"

"We take 1,000 beri each year as a holding fee. It goes to paying salaries of us bankers, paying layer fees for getting our bankers out of prison if we get caught, and a small tithe to our boss. Items stored here cause a second 1,000 beri charge for the same reason and to help build our special vaults so the often illegal items cannot be stolen. Now rules. We are also willing to trade any treasure you have for beri's with a 10% fee. We do not tell anyone who's account is which nor do we tell what an account has in it. The boss is the only one who knows what's in each bank. If you have a particularly rare or illegal item we will transfer it to one of our secure locations so it does not get lost if a local bank is raided. We also agree to replace any money or items lost at cost should you lose anything from a raid."

I blinked at the sudden rush of information and took a minute to process it. "Do you identify items as well? And if you do transfer an item where can I withdraw it?"

He smiled; "We do indeed help identify items. We can also help you find sellers or, if you are looking for a rare item, we can help you find it. Say you want a certain sword; we keep our bankers on the lookout for information on it. Should a person turn it in, we can let them know there is a potential buyer."

"Handy." I pulled out my large sky dial. "Got any ideas what this is then? I know it's a sky dial and rare but that's it."

Louis leaned in and inspected it. "That would be about the same as what I'd say." He said wryly. "I'll put a note in your account about it so next time you visit our bank we should have an answer. Will you be storing it?"

"Not today. I might find someone on the seas who knows what it is. Plus it's not too heavy. How much exactly do I have?"

"There was 341,015 beri left over from your chest after the fees. The jewelry you have is worth about 50,000 beri and the stones come out to 860 beri right now."

"Can I trade in all the jewelry and stones right now? I'll just leave everything else in there. Where exactly can I find other banks? Since you aren't exactly advertising…"

"Ahh that's easy. Look for the same carpets I have out there. They are sold only to Banks of Jones." He laughed at my startled expression. "We made it as easy as we could without shouting it from the rooftops!"

"I'll probably be back this afternoon with the bounties. I stopped by here first to make sure everything was set up before going to talk to the new marines." He nodded as he finished making notes in his book and locking items away and moving money from one vault to another. I left and headed out to the marine base.

"Captain Jasoor will see you in his office." Was the greetings I got from the private manning the front desk. "Head up the stairs and it's on the first right on the next floor."

"Thanks." I grimaced as I felt my thigh complain from walking up the stairs. At least he wasn't on the third floor!

"Jasmine here." I said as I knocked on the door.

"Enter." Jasoor's deep voice commanded and I obeyed. Beyond was what looked to be an office where every paper was stored; I did not envy him having to go through it all! The taller man had a frazzled look on his face and looked like he welcomed the break in paper work. Without his marine cap on I could see he had bushy thick black hair held back in a short club at the base of his neck. His piercing grey eyes seemed to evaluate me as I entered. I had to shove aside the urge to salute him.

"We gathered the entire crew and found them all alive. The first mate- Morty." He had to pause and look at a sheet on his desk. "Did need some medical attention but nothing too permanent was done. The entire crew captured alive; I am impressed. Not many can take out a crew by themselves with only minor injuries."

I winced at that. He made it sound impressive when all I felt was disappointment towards the crew! "They were drunk and not paying attention." I sighed. "It was mostly bashing them over the head from behind when they came out in pairs to change the guard shifts. Morty and Rogue were the only real threats."

He smiled; "The fact remains you took out a crew by yourself. The sergeant reports Rogue had a pouch tied to his belt with some… figurines and a recipe that had some notes?" He looked at me questioningly. I shifted uncomfortably at this; how to tell a marine you didn't feel like taking an overgrown man child's toys or recipe?

"Rogue came across as a… innocent almost. Childish but very loyal and caring of his crew. I found those in his room." I shuddered at the reminder of the putrid stench and he quirked an eyebrow quizzically. "If you think his odor is bad in person his room is ten times worse! It was his recipe and I felt that, since it was actually a good brew, he had a chance at finding an honest job if Alyna managed to get her paws on him… "

The soft chuckle made me look up from the paper I was staring at instead of him but his face hadn't changed a bit, other than a gleam in his eye. "And he was such a kid I.. I felt like if he had to go to prison he ought to have his toys with him… I guess…." It sounded lame even to my ears but it Jasoor must have gotten something out of it since he nodded and moved along after scribbling a note.

"Alyna does have a certain effect on people yes. Hopefully she can prove herself worthy of the Gilded Lily and earn her Captaincy finally."

"So that piece of gossip was right?" I blurted out and once more his eyebrow raised. "The village was full of gossip this morning. They said you were here permanently and that every marine was a family man and that the families would be moving here."

"That is… a lot of rather accurate information for us only being here a day."

"Village ladies like to gossip."

"I will keep that in mind. It is true yes. I will be transferring that sergeant friend of yours here as well; he is up for promotion anyways."

"Ohhh Hilik's gonna be here? Neat. I'll leave some of Foul's Rotgut here for him to try. Make up for the calls out of no where."

"Foul's rotgut?" His tone was that of a man not wanting to know.

"Yeah, the brew that Rogue made. Needs some work which is why I wrote those notes for him but it's actually rather good. Sweet and smooth and not deserving of the name at all but a pirate made it so…" I shrugged.

"And you… drank this?"

"I was hurting and had just suffered a terrible guilt attack. And entered a room that I am trying to forget the smell of. I needed to drink to get over it." I smiled brightly and he sighed.

"You drunk called an officer?"

"Only number I have."

He shook his head and grabbed a briefcase. "Here is the 13 million for the two bounties as well as 10,000 extra from Finnbar's stash as thank you for your actions here. And this…" He put down an envelope. "Is a letter of recommendation should you ever desire to join the marines. I know you have your own dreams." He raised a hand to stop my objections. "But most if not all can be down while serving the people and justice. It's there if you do change your mind."

Gee great. I'd rather more money frankly. "Thank you sir. I will keep it in mind for the future."

"Do you think you could spare some extra time? I would like to hear exactly how you took them out and your reasons. A debrief if you would."

I swallowed a sigh and agreed; I was going to be sticking around for a bit yet anyways till a ship arrived so I might as well. I hadn't realized I was letting myself into an intense discussion on tactics and stealth. Every action was dissected, especially the fights. He had some suggestions and critiques on my style too. Apparently he'd been watching on the Lily and could recall what style I used. Useful but also mentally stressful. I think he learned more about me than I wanted from that discussion!

I left to deliver my money to my new bank as well as figure out what ships would be coming in and if any were headed to Portal or Louge town.

[[Jasmine bio 1]]

* * *

 **POV change: Captain Jasoor**

He'd known something was wrong when he'd stopped in Kellbar and seen the gaunt figures and sensed the anger in the air but with a ship full of prisoners he couldn't just stop and take his time to figure it out. He'd almost left behind one of the lieutenants except each had their duties on board and leaving them a small crew behind was asking for a prisoner revolt on board. It happened often enough before, and he needed every man he had to make sure that no one escaped or sunk the ship.

So he'd left with a note in his mind to contact HQ and ask for an investigation. And then came a call from a sergeant from the island before Kellbar, he couldn't quite recall what it was named, telling him that the guest they'd just dropped off had apparently done his work for him and found out what was wrong. To know a fellow Captain had fallen to such acts of piracy enraged him and Jasoor decided to make his move now. He'd been getting word that a promotion was upcoming for him and the HQ was thinking of promoting Alyna so this would shoot two pirates with one bullet.

He got to clean up the mess before it got too out of hand and would hopefully be given a chance to claim that spot so he could (finally!) settle down and spend some quality time with his wife and little girl, Alyna would get to see if she could handle the ship on her own.

And I get to see if this Jasmine girl is any good; he thought as the small caravel landed and he began ordering his marines to capture Finnbar alive preferably and round up the marines for a good lecture Marine style.

Simon and Alyna had nothing but good to say about the Ohara native; so either she was a good actress or she honestly wasn't one of those archaeologists who kept trying to find out lost knowledge that was better left unknown. But she seemed skilled in brewery and music; perhaps she was one of the few who left Ohara and wasn't a potential rebel?

Then he arrives only to find that not only has Jasmine done his investigation for him, she's taken out the pirates and caught Finnbar! Nice job that; good officer potential there. Take out the target she knew was the most volatile then wait for backup for the other target. He went over the reports from his men that night; reports on how the scene of the fights had looked and the lack of blood. So she's merciful and willing to give them a chance as well as strong enough to take on a small pirate crew. Smart to do so in a way that requires the least amount of work and blood spilt and fast enough to finish her plans.

 _If I cannot convince her to join, I will simply send word to Admiral Sengoku so he can keep an eye on this potential recruit._ The tall broad man smiled to himself as he heard the awaited knock.

"Enter." He barked out and quickly hid the smirk as he took in the tall girl... no the woman before him. Now that he was close enough to actually see details and not distracted he was shocked she looked far more mature than he'd expected. This was no lanky teenager on her first adventure, easily convinced to join a cause; this was a mature adult who had taken the first steps towards a dream.

The tall woman had dark skin which was unusual for Ohara, though the bright intelligent blue eyes were so similar to the archaeologists he's met before. Eager, quick, and always wanting to earn something, they were eyes of an adventurer. Her lean form showed muscle from constant practice while her hands were long and slender; perfect for a musician or martial artist. The hair was bouncy waves of dark brown almost black shoulder length hair that partially defied gravity to poof up beyond the headband that kept it out of her face. She was a pretty woman, though her lean muscled build and broad shoulders and hips did not lend itself well to the classic beauty. Instead her beauty came from the easy grace with which she moved, the quiet confidence, the intelligent eyes, the clean long lines of her body and curve of muscle with an easy smile.

What a waste; he couldn't help thinking. She'd make an excellent officer... though her reasons were good, he felt there was something she didn't mention. Perhaps seeing the execution of Gold Rogers will show her that the Marines are the right way to go instead of adventuring. At least she's not a pirate.

* * *

 **AN: whoops, meant to post this earlier! Also the POV change: I'm thinking of adding lil bits like this every now and then just to give you the other side's pov or help show something I missed. In this case a far better description of what jasmine looks like. Also to set up some events int he future.. but mostly so you can see Hilik's reactions to her drunk calls (some of which are in meetings lol).**


	6. Chapter 6: On the seas

Today is the third day of sailing on the _Casanova_ , a passenger ship that was on its way to Logue town. I had a week's wait for it to arrive, during which I helped out in Louis at his tavern and finally started leveling up my Brewing skill. I also asked the doctor for advice and some lessons on medical matters; if I was to be alone I needed more knowledge on how to fix myself up! I ended up raising that to level 5 and it unlocked a special skill of bonesetter which would be handy if someone ever broke my bones!

I was, to be quite frank, bored. Ever since I came to this world I have had something to do; be it sparing with the marines on the _Gilded Lily_ , defeating bandits, healing, or even practicing with my staff, singing, or learning the erhu. Here there was no real space to practice my katas, no friendly face to talk to, and there was only so much fishing and staring at the sea I could do. I'd read all my books, I'd practiced my music a bit, and I let my wounds heal.

Today I finally gave in and went to join in on the gambling that occurred near the bow of the ship. There was always a game or three running it seemed. The participants seemed rather rough; their bodies muscled, clothing clean but worn and well patched. Something in their eyes said they were no normal travelers: as such I avoided them. I didn't want to borrow trouble after all! But I was super bored and didn't want to spend another day singing softly to myself as I fished. There were only three today, one of which young and not as rough so it ought to be safer.

"Mind if I join in?" I asked politely as I approached. The small group looked up at me, eyes seeming to categorize and judge me in a second.

"We were about to start a new game... you in for beli's or just playing?" The dealer asked; he was a slim man with a long black pony tail and dull grey eyes, the cutlass at his side well used and worn.

"I can do either so long as it's not too big a stake." I responded and sat down next to the youngest of the group as they made space for me. I would have said he was too young to be out here alone since his wide grin and straw hat with its red band made me think farmer boy, but something about him said 'danger.' It might have been his build, the lean but muscled in a way no farmer would be, or maybe it was his pale amber eyes that were sharp and intelligent despite his youth, or maybe it was just the ease with which he moved and his confidence.

"There's four of us now;" the boy with his bright red hair spoke up; "why not play Black Lady? We can all put in to a pot and winner takes it all?"

"Black Lady?" I asked, that was a game I didn't know.

"A type of Hearts game." The dealer said and he looked to the last man, this one dark skinned like me but with a shocking bushy head of white hair. "Pot or no pot?"

"Loser pays for everyone's lunch at the fancy place instead of the cafeteria?" Was the broad black man's response. "I'm Phil."

"I'm Shanks. I like the lunch idea!" The boy, or rather teenager, said with a laugh.

"Boulra." The dealer introduced himself last.

"I'm Jasmine, and I do not know hearts either. What's this about the fancy place though? I thought there was only the free food?"

Phil chuckled; "The Captain makes good money offering a fancier dining room and better food for those that can afford it. He probably didn't mention it to you since you don't have the air of wealth about you. It'll be about 500 beli a meal for each person though. Can you match that?"

"I can." I did have it in cash right now, though I could always go to the Oceanic Bank broker they had on board. Handy thing that…

"That works." Phil began to explain the game as Broula shuffled and dealt. "Object is to not take points and make someone else go over 500 points. Each heart counts as one point and the queen of spades, the black lady, counts as 13. If you take all 26 points you shoot the moon. You can either go down 26 or send everyone else up 26. If you take every round played, you shoot the sun and can either send everyone up 50 or you can go down 50. You can't go below 0 and if you have less than 26 points or 50 when you shoot you can't go down. After you look at your hand you pick three cards and pass em. We do a variant where each round you pass to a different person, right, left, then across and the last round is a hold hand and no one passes. You have to follow the suit of card played unless you are out; then you can play whatever you want. Only exception is that hearts cannot be played unless someone has 'broken' one on another player. Which means someone needs to have a void in a suit to play a heart. Aces are high and highest card dealt takes the round. Whoever has the 2 of clubs plays it first to start us off. That make sense?"

I nodded and looked at my cards. So make someone else eat points. I organized it to find I had no hearts, 5 spades including the queen and 5 low clubs including the 2 and 3 medium high diamonds. I passed the three diamonds; might as well right? That would give me two of these 'voids' and a better chance at getting rid of the queen. From my left Boulra, the fiend, passed me three more diamonds, I pouted slightly and he chuckled. At least they were lower than what I passed!

"I've got the 2." I said as I play it. "What happens if you don't have four people?"

They all played as Broula answered. "Different amount of cards passed or we take out some of the 2's. Or we play a different game." Shanks took it with his ace and began leading spades with his high ones. I was stuck with playing my low spade and Phil got away with taking with an ace of spades. Phil then played spades and Broula got away with his King of spades! Both had been downstream of me and there was no way of knowing if I could have played the queen and gotten away with making them eat her. Now though there were two spades left not in my hand while I had three spades. I was safe at least! I ducked the rest of the rounds, waiting eagerly until someone finally broke hearts and played a heart round. I grinned as Shanks played his 4 of hearts. I flicked out the queen of spades.

"Better hope only one of them has lower." I grinned happily as he looked at me with large puppy dog eyes. Rather effective ones too.

"So cruel… you're out already?"

"Didn't have any to begin with."

"That explains my hands distribution." Phil chuckled as he and Boulra both ducked with the 2 and 3, leaving Shanks to eat the 16 points. The game progressed, me and Phil ducking left and right and making Broula and Shanks split the rest.

"My hand was perfectly split. " Boulra said with a disgusted sigh as he passed the deck to Phil to shuffle. We passed the rest of the morning in a nice competitive fight, my nerves at approaching these strange and dangerous men easing considerable. Boulra looked stern and taciturn but had a nice dry sense of humor while Shanks and Phil each had loud laughs and quick smiles. In the end Phil ended up shooting the sun and putting both Shanks and Boulra and managed to get my points above his as well. I pouted; I'd almost won!

"Devil's luck." Boulra grumbled as they packed up and we all stood to stretch our legs out. "Don't see a perfect shoot hand like that very often!"

"Almost never." Phil agreed with a booming laugh. "Looks like you two get to split the bill! And," He eyed the sun. "It's about time to eat anyways! Perfect timing don't you agree Jasmine?"

"Yup! Is the food worth paying extra? I rather liked the buffet stuff they've had so far."

"It may only be 500 once… but if you eat there twice a day every day the trip ends up racking up points. And he serves alcohol there that the rich idiot who bought out most of the booze can't buy. "

"Wait, they still have alcohol? I was told they were out!"

"Everyone always carries booze!" Phil said as he fluffed my hair. "It sells better. But the fat jerk who only comes out at night bought all of it. Luckily the captain put his foot down and said no to buying out the fancy place's stock. "

"Cause then we'd have to go and liberate all that poor sake and beer. And maybe his gold too since he spends it so freely." Boulra said in a very serious tone. I shook my head and swatted Phil's hand.

"I didn't feel like getting drunk anyways."

"One bottle ain't gonna hurt you." Boulra rolled his grey eyes at my comment.

"Actually… it kinda does." I laughed in embarrassment. "I'm a light weight."

"In that case more for me!" Phil declared. I looked over at Shanks who'd been keeping quiet. He was pouting.

"What's with the pouty face Shanks?" I asked teasingly as Phil and I both leaned on his shoulders and loomed over him. Being tall was nice!

"They don't let me drink yet."

"Cause you're a kid!"

"I'm 17! And still growing!" He elbowed us in the ribs as we laughed.

"17 is still a kid!" I grinned. "So long as that teen is still in your age, you can't escape it!"

"If it weren't for your height I'd call you a kid too." Boulra muttered at me.

"I'm 20 though." I said with a smirk. "20 is officially an adult!"

"I'm old enough looking." Shanks sulked as Phil and I both began chortling again.

"Try filling out a bit and not be so scrawny if you want to be mistaken as a man." I snickered.

"I'm still growing!" He rolled his eyes and his pout vanished to be replaced by a grin as he changed the subject. "So what's an old lady like yourself traveling about all alone?"

"Old lady? Rude." I sniffed and answered his question anyways. "Just traveling. Might end up going to Logue town. Might end up finding an adventure before that." His grin dimmed and eyes darkened briefly as I mentioned Logue town, it happened so fast I almost missed it.

"What sort of adventure?"

"Preferably one that involves lost treasure, mythical creatures, exotic locations, and hot men."

He had a nice laugh, a deep warm one. "Sounds like my type of adventure! With some variation though."

"Same here." Phil agreed as we entered a room in the starboard end I hadn't been aware off. It was indeed fancy and obviously some thought had been put into making it look comfortable, elegant, and not tacky. The walls had been painted and there were clean rugs to give the wooden floor color. The seats and tables were all made of much finer wood than the furniture I'd seen about the place so far. Shanks and Boulra paid the man who approached us and we sat down.

"Menu's and everything." I said as I looked through it. "Nice range of drinks too."

"The amber cherry sake is actually pretty light on alcohol content iffn you're worried about getting too drunk." Boulra said as he placed his order. It sounded good so I ordered a bottle to go with my fried rice and teriyaki chicken.

"You any good with the blade or just leaving home with no training?" I asked Shanks curiously as he had a sword at his side much like Boulra. Of course I'd also 'just left home with little training' considering I'd just been brought back to life but then I cheated by being a game character.

"I've got some skill. Not the first time I've left to go sailing." Was his mild response. I had expected some bragging; perhaps he was actually good at it?

"Mind sparring sometime during the trip? I'm still healing from my last fight but I'd rather not get too rusty while we just sit around sailing. Offer's up to you two as well." I looked at Boulra and Phil who looked interested.

Shanks pale amber eyes flickered to me looking for a weapon type or wound and he tilted his head curiously. "What do you use?"

"Bo staff mostly. Some martial arts."

"Is a stick any good against pistols or swords?" His nose wrinkled as he asked the question. Phil ended up answering for me after he stopped laughing.

"Go in with that thought and you'll end up on your ass!"

I nodded in agreement with a small smile. "It's strong enough you can't cut through it easily, gives me range your saber doesn't, and is excellent for blocking and attacking. And it doubles as a walking stick. Against pistols I try to take them out first or dodge."

"Huh... maybe it's not too bad a weapon. Though people are gonna think you're unarmed."

"You should probably start walking around with it." Boulra said. "I heard some of the others mentioning you last night and the fact you don't have a weapon on you. Some unsavory ideas got bounced around."

I paused at this and looked at him. He merely shrugged.

"Pretty unarmed lady on a boat full of men… what do you think they're gonna think?"

"True…" I sighed and shook my head. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that but I can handle myself."

"You mentioned wounds?" Phil looked at me with worry in his dark eyes.

"It's mostly healed now." I pulled off the glove on my left hand which had been hiding the bandages. "Grabbed a sword so I could stop the person from attacking me and took him out while doing so. Ribs got mostly healed slash wounds. Worse one is the axe blow to the thigh I took."

"You are remarkably blasé about this." Boulra shook his head as the food arrived.

"It happened and I lived."

"Why'd you get in that situation in the first place?" Shanks asked, his eyes lighting up as he sensed a story time.

"Corrupt marine captain was taking pay offs from the pirate group that was running a protection scam. Pay us and we don't burn your shop down sorta thing."

"And you didn't just call the marines?" Phil tilted his head questioningly as he dug into his large bowl of spaghetti.

"Oh I did that too. But well, I was there so why not help out?"

"Cause its dangerous!" Shanks pipped up. "And messing with marines can always go badly."

"And if I avoid everything dangerous I might as well not set out to sail at all." I rolled my eyes. "Women aren't all weak and delicate you know."

"I'll take you up on the spar offer." Boulra chimed in. "I've got a bo staff myself so I can use that instead of my blade."

"Many thanks!" I smiled happily. Lunch turned to other topics after that, mostly about things they'd seen at sea. Many of them seemed fantastical, but who was I to say what was or wasn't real? I had some weird game character thing going on! And maybe they were true… some of their stories matched up with legends I'd read of in my book. I made note of them as I went to grab my staff from my quarters and meet Boulra back by the bow. I stored the left over sake in my bag as well for later.

I found that Phil was in the process of carving a quick wooden saber for Shanks and a large bo staff lay by his side as well.

"Staves are best at training and make good weapons when you don't want to kill anyone. Boulra and I train with them when we want exercise." He smiled as he gave his answer, which I completely agreed with.

"I am a user of the Sky Dragon style. Phil there uses Stone Monkey."

"I use Simple Monkey." My style sounded so weak compared to theirs! Sky dragon and Stone Monkey? Nice!

"Ahh, then I can teach you my style. Stone is a style that uses Simple monkey as its base." Sweet! Something to do and learn extra! Hopefully I could add it to my skill list or at least it'd be an option once I leveled up. "Sky dragon uses … what's its starting style, Boulra?" Phil paused and his forehead wrinkled in thought as he tried to think of its style.

"Silent Serpent." Came the quiet response. "I can also teach you I guess. Serpent uses a bit more sudden movements and quick strikes while monkey does more lunges and leaps."

I bowed to them in the traditional way; hand holding the staff in reverse as you bent from the waist. "I'd be grateful." The fact they knew a second tier of fighting style told me they were probably a few levels above me; odds were I was about to get beaten! Ah well, it'd be fun right? And the best way to learn was to see and fight against it so you knew how it was used.

It didn't quite go that way; Boulra was on my level it appeared, faster than I was but his hits were not as strong. Either he was taking it easy on me or I simply had a higher body stat. Or both! I ended up doing a wait and see approach, waiting until he struck before striking myself; while his strikes were faster, my longer reach and my styles leaps and rolls kept him at bay. Phil called the match after ten minutes, not wanting me to strain my leg.

 _Spar vs Boulra: Draw. +30 exp._

While I rested and Phil waited his turn, Boulra showed me the katas for Silent serpent. Sadly the alert that did pop up was not the one I wanted.

 _Martial Arts (bo staff, unarmed) Fighting style: Silent Serpent unlocked. It may now be selected as a skill when leveling up._

When I was rested enough, Phil and I sparred while Boulra and Shanks danced off to the side. Phil was a whole other kettle of fish compared to Boulra! My longer reach did not exist here as he was taller than me and his weapon longer; not to mention he was stronger than me! The breadth of his shoulders told me that much. His stance was... flawless I suppose you could say. It spoke of no wasted movements, of perfect balance, of crouching strength. Phil apparently put in a lot more time into his martial arts than Boulra!

"This is gonna hurt isn't it?" I chuckled. His response was a wry grin.

"I'll try not to go too hard but you won't learn if I hold back too much."

"I knew that when I asked for a spar. Stone is based on more defense and strong strikes than speed right?" I asked curiously and he nodded affirmatively. Right, expect hammer blows and slower speeds but still fast. Also hard to hit. Lovely.

For him I moved around a lot more than against Boulra as I tried to get him out of his solid defensive stance. Every strike I tried, he would block with a blow that made my arms strain as I struggled to not lose my balance of staff from the sheer strength behind it. The best I managed to do was a hard strike behind his knee that made him stumble for a minute as I leapt into the air charging a critical strike as I did so in hopes of getting another solid hit off. He moved with a surprising turn of speed, rolling forward to get out of my range. I dented the wooden deck beneath us as I did so and Phil grinned.

"Oh ho ho. That was a strike meant for a real fight girly… upping the ante now eh?"

"Won't be able to fight you at all if I don't put in everything." My grin was just as feral as his. His deep rumbling chuckle was the only warning before he went on offensive. I dodged for my life, sometimes using his staff as a launch pad to get out of the way. Near the end he used this against me and when I tried doing it again, his staff somehow slid along my leg and hoisted me into the air. I'm not sure how, but somehow I twisted out of the way of his strike in midair and landed in a crouched position at his feet. I rolled backwards barely avoiding his downward strike; which also dented the wooden deck, though his was far more impressive. I'd felt the wind from that strike and laughed as I relaxed and slumped from my slouched position to a lounging one on the deck.

"It's my loss." My leg was beginning to throb and I wanted to save some energy for Shanks.

"Good dodges."

 _Spar vs Phil: Loss. +30 exp._

I kept my eyes from widening as I saw the experience for a tie with Boulra was the same as a loss against Phil. Just how much higher in level was he?

"I only managed one hit though. Aye-yaya. That last blow would have hurt!"

"As would have your strike."

"Geeze guys.. isn't this a spar?" Shank's tone was dry as a desert. I looked over to see him and Boulra eyeing the dented deck. "Ol' Phil there would have broken the deck if he hadn't pulled his blow at the last second."

"Tell me about it." I muttered as I began stretching. "He didn't which means his control is just that good." I said in a louder voice. "In a bit you and I get to duel then Phil gets to pound you too." I said with a laugh at Shank's horrified expression.

"I'll be squashed!"

"I'll send flowers to your funeral." Boulra quipped. "Phil's been practicing all his life, focusing on learning each one completely before he moves on to the next. It's why he's so good at the staff."

"How old are you Phil?" I asked curiously. His white hair could be naturally white since I'd seen odd hair colors like pink and blue so white might not mean age.

"Getting into my 50's. I came back to visit the ol' monastery and pass on what I learned before heading back out with Boulra here to go visit the Grand Line again. I got part of the way through New World before realizing I should return home and pass my knowledge on before I kicked the bucket. I'll tell stories later… for now I'll show you the basics of Stone monkey. Ain't gonna go over it more than once so pay attention." His dark eyes focused as he growled the last words. I sat up and did as ordered. This was the next step in my personal style! Damn right I was going to learn it!

 _Martial Arts (bo staff, unarmed) Fighting style: Stone Monkey unlocked. Once prerequisites are met, it may be selected as a skill upon leveling._

After the lesson, I stood to start another spar after I felt rested. The leg was slightly shaky but the stiches were holding for now and I wasn't too worried. Shanks had his wooden saber, which was cute and adorable. He wasn't so happy when I told him so.

"It's so cute! Like a kid with his toy sword." His glare was sharp enough to cut. "Just teasing Shanks. It just looks like a toy sword and you're so little."

He charged and I jumped forward into his swing, meeting his blade with my staff and putting a foot on his chest to shove him backwards. His eyes widened as he stumbled backwards. I had a good foot of height on him, meaning my kicks would be more effective since I didn't have to leap and jump.

"Now that's just cruel." I heard Boulra mutter off to the side.

"If you got it use it." Phil laughed.

I was on the offensive immediately, not letting him get his footing back. Shanks I knew was dangerous, not sure what told me he was, but I just knew. He was going to be fast and something about his confidence made me think that if this was a real fight it would be going far differently. He wasn't on the defensive for long, he used his small stature to duck under one of my swings and got inside my range. Pity he forgot about my legs! Once again, I snapped a foot up and kicked his chest, making him stumble, though he did get a stab into my ribs with his sword. I winced and swung my staff back into his head. He stumbled and I took the opportunity to spin him around and put him into a head lock.

"I think its my win yes?" I said as I tightened the grip as he began to struggle, I had to put in a surprising amount of strength to do so to. Kid was not weak at all! Since he kept struggling I tossed him to the ground and sat on him as I planted my bo staff on his sword blade.

Phil and Boulra were howling with laughter off to the side as Shank's sputtered at the indignity.

"I lose." He pouted and I smiled. After I hopped off his back I helped him up.

"You're heavy." He said childishly.

"I'm a big girl yup. It's all those extra inches I have on you."

 _Spar vs Shanks: Win. +40 exp._

 _Sparring increases your stamina: +10 to status._

* * *

That night was far more entertaining than the rest of the trip; now that I'd made friends I had something to do and people to talk to! I managed to win some nice googles in a card game off of one of the ship's crewmembers. The lenses were crystalline glass and the dark brown leather had been treated to withstand water. The brass that held the lenses had a cute design of a small dragon winding about it; the guy shouldn't have put it in the pot! These I put on since they'd be handy when I went swimming. Otherwise I didn't make a profit, but then I stuck to the small stakes gambling games or just played board games with Phil as he taught me other games. I retired later than normal once it started to rain.

Sometime past midnight something woke me up, an itch, a change in the air. Something was off. Outside I could still hear the rain. I dressed quickly and grabbed my bo staff and goggles as I headed out. I couldn't sleep when I felt something was off like this.

As I approached the stairs I heard some soft spoken words.

"Come on—we ain't got all night! Someone's bound to wake up soon."

 _ **Event: Casanova under attack!**_

 _Survive the night: +50 exp, +1 Stat point_

 _Save the Casanova: +25 exp, +1 Treasure Chest_

 _Stop the robbery: +25 exp +1 uncommon item_

 _Special: No one shall die this night!_

 _If no one dies before dawn +100 exp, +1 random Feat_

* * *

[[Jasmine bio 1]]

 **An: This chapter took a while to write as I kept getting distracted. First was actually planning out her whole trip, then it was mapping the stupid Grand Line and world cause I needed to figure out where she was and how she was going places. Then it was figuring out ages of canon characters and a time line of stuff before and after cannon wise. Then I just had to write this upcoming scene in a few islands that just had to be written… but finally I am back on track! And yay, first canon character! Shanks is weird; his age is like... 15 when Roger dies? But he's been a cabin boy for several years under Rogers? So did he join at like… 12 or something? So I raised his age to 17 for this. Also he is from West blue originally I think and went home to visit after Roger's disbanded his crew. Hence why he is here!**

 **Ages for drinking: I figure since this is a not quite modern time setting (more swords and flint locks and robots are more rare) that the drinking age is probably about 18-ish?**

 **Next chapter is like one long fight scene sorry!**


	7. Chapter 7: Casanova under attack! part 1

_Last time:_ During a rainy night Jasmine wakes up thinking something is off. At the base of the stairs heading up to the upper levels and deck she hears:

"Come on—we ain't got all night! Someone's bound to wake up soon."

 _ **Event: Casanova under attack!**_

It was perhaps a few hour till dawn and since there was a special for no one dying, odds were someone was going to die! Not if I can help it, I thought as I crept to the stairs and looked up it. On the landing of stairs leading to the next level I saw two sets of feet.

"This level ain't got that merchant we was told was here. Nor the gold vault of that Oceanic Bank operative." An owner of one of the feet muttered.

"Think it's further down?"

"Nah, that's brig levels. They have rooms for rent down there and regular storage space. Too likely we'll wake someone looking around down there. It's probably above deck near the captain."

They began to leave, grumbling under their breath. Apparently they were after that rich guy who'd bought almost all the alcohol as well as the bank operative on board. Sounds like a good target; potentially easier than robbing an actual bank too since it was out at sea and the crew looked like they had minimal training. Except most of the passengers I'd seen had weapons of some sort and looked like they could use them. They picked the wrong ship to raid tonight, I thought as I shook my head.

I crouched before quietly trying to sneak up the stairs and follow them.

"You hear that?" One of stopped and began to turn around when one of my foot falls caused the stair to creak. I swallowed a curse and used soru to cover the last distance; my fist meeting his stomach as I jabbed my bo staff at the back of the other man's head. As the smaller man fell I brought my staff down on the doubled over pirates head, knocking him out as well.

 _+20 exp for taking out two pirates._

Only 10 each? No ambush experience either; maybe if they even remotely notice I'm here I don't get it? Pity.

I needed to wake up the crew if I could, I might be able to take a pirate gang out by myself but what if there was more? That special under the event had me worried: if they specifically mentioned death, then this ought to be a hard fight. There's a warning bell by the steering wheel; I can go ring that if I really need to. Or just yell really loudly since I do have a voice that can carry.

I peeked over the deck floor boards and spotted a group of people on deck. There were about eight pirates gathered around some of the _Casanova_ crew who were tied bout the main mast.

"The doors to the vault and merchant's quarters are locked." I ducked back down as I heard a voice nearby and the sound of an opening door. "We'll have to pick the locks or find the keys since those doors are solid steel."

I peeked back over once the voice moved away and I saw a figure walk out of the rain towards the group.

"It's always the good loot that's behind doors like those! Any sign of our allies?" The approaching figure's voice was deep with a slight rasp to it.

"They're approaching right now, Captain. Should be here in a few minutes."

"Mmm… well let's wait till they get here before we start a real ruckus. This is a big ship and who knows how many fighters are on board. I was hoping for an easy grab but ah well."

The Captain was a tall broad man… but then so were many of the strong people I'd began to notice. Size apparently had something to do with power here. Which meant, my eyes caught sight of a tall lean figure standing near the tied up _Casanova_ crew, he was probably the other strong man aboard the crew. The crew all had dog shaped hats on them. How cute, I thought as I took a deep breath and prepared for battle. The darkness kept me from seeing too many details and the rain was covering a lot of sounds so I had to hope there wasn't any extra pirates somewhere I couldn't see.

I slowly took the stairs and approached the group, all of whom were looking towards something off to the side. Must be their allies. I took the chance and soru-ed behind the tall thin man; if he was strong I wanted him gone first! I hooked my foot about his ankles and kicked his feet out from under him.

"Oi-!" His call was cut off with a sudden thud as I slammed my staff at the back of his head with enough force his face dented the deck and stayed there.

"I would prefer that no one died tonight—can I persuade you to leave quietly?" I asked politely, ignoring the fallen body at my feet as I smiled brightly at the crew who was staring at me with slackened jaws.

 _First Mate Hornblower Pete defeated: 30 exp_

Huh, he was apparently weaker than Iron Morty and Foul Rogue. The captain began laughing a barking laugh that turned into an… is that an actual bark?! I stared at him as his body began to change, thickening and warping until a werewolf stood before me. Except that was not a wolf. Wolves had far more pointed faces and ears; this was a hound of some sort, one with cute floppy ears and a round button nose. It might have been scary but the sheer adorable puppy-ness overwhelmed any fear I might have had.

"Are you a… were-puppy?" I asked curiously and he scowled at the comment.

"I am Captain Barton Hound! I am a devil!"

"Devils have horns and hooves not cute floppy ears and fluffy faces." I corrected him and he growled at me. "Aww, how cute!"

"I am not cute! I am a pirate! Sea hounds don't interfere, this wench needs a lesson and I'mma gonna give it!" The group surrounded us and began cat calling and cheering on their captain. Can't believe he called them sea hounds… was his ship called the sea dog or something similar to keep the theme up?

"Well, that makes it easier." I smirked as he charged at me snarling. If he was some were-dog or devil dog then his jaws were probably super strong, I side stepped and swung my bo staff between his legs to tangle him up. I couldn't help but feel my eyes widen as his paw hands hit the deck and gouged it. Claws are nasty too!

He jumped up before I could move to take advantage of his sprawled state, far faster than I expected. Though it might have something to do with the odd shape of his legs now, more dog like than human. I frowned before a thought occurred to me.

"Look—a squirrel!" I pointed to the left and his head swung around and his large puppy eyes lit up.

"Squirrel!"

As he was distracted I took a quick step towards him and spun my spirit into my staff as I jammed it upwards into his jaw. A resounding crack occurred and he stumbled back, a whine emitting from his throat as blood from his bitten tongue leaked down his chin. I did a series of quick jabs to keep him off balance as I set up for a critical strike, gathering my spirit and waiting for the opportune moment to knock him out. I got my chance as he kicked out; leaving himself open to a crotch shot.

His howl was high pitched and I saw the men surrounding us wince and cover themselves.

"Low blow sis... low blow." I heard someone mutter behind me.

"It could be worse. This could be a blade." I muttered as I saw the system announcement flash my win. Apparently a critical strike to the balls was enough to knock the were-woof-woof out of combat. Some days I am glad I am a woman and do not have that huge weak spot. Now I had the rest of the crew to take out before these 'allies' showed up!

 _Captain Barton Hound defeated: +40 exp._

"She took out the Captain!" I heard someone mutter but no one really made a move to strike. I looked at them and shook my head, even the tied up _Casanova_ crew members looked a bit disturbed.

"Oh come on... it's not that bad!" I protested as I glared at them.

"Crotch shot at full strength..."

"The same strength that dented Hornblower's head..."

"Poor Captain's never gonna have kids now..."

"You can take your captain and first mate and leave now or;" I glared at them and took up a fighting stance. "I can finish this fight fast."

"Just kill them all! Filthy pirates!" One of the tied up crew members yelled out as he struggled in his bonds.

"They tied you up and didn't kill you when they had the chance so I am offering them the same courtesy." I responded as I saw hands creep towards blades and the Sea hound's faces darken. It was silent for a moment before one of the men behind me grumbled.

"This ship ain't worth it. Sure the gold might be nice but since our Captain's down I doubt the other crews will give us our share." With that the fight went out of the sea hounds and they gathered up their fallen companions, including the two on the stairs, and slunk off with their tails between their legs. I watched them leave before untying the _Casanova_ crew members.

"Someone needs to sound an alarm or something." I ordered as I released them. "They said allies so there will be fighting yet."

"Should have just killed those bastards… weak emotional woman." The surly one who'd yelled out first grumbled at me as he stalked away.

I rolled my eyes. "Mercy is not weakness." I said to the empty deck before sighing and heading off to prepare for the other fights. Sure I could have taken out the crew for 80 experience but it would take valuable stamina to do so and the fight was not yet over.

As the alarm bell rang out into the rainy night I could vaguely make out another ship approaching from the starboard side. I looked around and saw that the crew was beginning to gather on the port side where another ship loomed out of the darkness. The rain and night kept me from seeing too many details but I could make out the shadow of its tall dual masts and the long bowsprit easily enough. The bowsprit was carved into the shape of a long swan head. Observation told me this was a brigantine and could hold over 100 men. Bet they're the swan pirates or something since the last one was themed, I thought as I turned back to view the other approaching ship. It was a sloop, much smaller than the brigantine and appeared to be unnoticed by the scampering crew of the _Casanova_ right now. it could hold anywhere from 20 to 70 men depending on how much they packed it, but something told me it wasn't a big crew. If they had higher numbers they wouldn't need this alliance after all!

I'll just take care of it then come back and help with the other one! I pulled my googles on and took a deep breath before diving over the edge of the railing. The water was shockingly cold as it closed around me, the darkness becoming greater as what little light was cast by our ship barely pierced the water. The ringing bell took on an otherworldly tone as the water dampened and warped its deep voice.

As I swam over towards the sloop I noticed it'd stopped moving and smaller shapes were cutting through the water. They must be using long boats to try and sneak up while the other ship distracts them! I paused in my swimming and couldn't help the feral grin stretching my lips as a thought occurred to me. I swam down a bit and waited till the closest one began to pass over me before I began to kick and sped up towards it.

I led staff point first so all my speed and force would be concentrated on one spot; hopefully being strong enough to put a hole in the long boat and keep it away from the _Casanova_. The staff hit with a crunching thud, penetrating the wood easily. My arm vibrated with the force of the blow and I heard the muffled cries of surprise above me. My lungs burned for a breath of air and I surfaced to quickly gasp for air before twisting my staff and using it as a lever to tip the boat over. Once they were in the water they were quickly dealt with as the ocean hampered their movements and not mine.

 _+48 experience for taking out 4 Pirates_

 _+10 for a well-executed ambush._

They were apparently slightly stronger than the Sea Hounds as they were 12 instead of 10 exp. The other boats had stopped heading towards the _Casanova_ and were not headed towards me I noticed. I dove down once more to prepare for another torpedo attack upon the nearest one. This time I didn't attack the boat; instead as I surfaced I grabbed the sides and pushed downwards to capsize them. The sounds of gunshots rang out and I felt a bullet wiz by my head as I fell back into the ocean.

"— ster or mermaid?" I heard someone shout nearby. I saw that only three of the occupants had fallen into the water and they were a bit more prepared than the last boat. They actually managed to pull out their blades: not that it did them much good. Their movements were sluggish and slow, weighted down by the water, leaving me with many openings to strike through and still be able to dodge.

 _+36 experience for taking out 3 Pirates._

I noticed as I surfaced to gasp at the air and try to find the other member of this boat that they were all wearing very similar outfits. They all had these snazzy black shoes and slacks with either a tuxedo like coat over a white shirt or a white vest over a black shirt. It made them a bit difficult to find in the dark waters! Fancy pirates these ones… Wonder what their theme is?

I dove back under as the last man standing in the boat spotted me and fired his pistol. The area around me was suddenly full of bullets streaming bubbles behind them as they hit the water and slowed down.

"Not a monster: it's a person!" I heard a voice shout. I snuck underneath one of the unconscious bodies and used it as a shield to hide myself as I slowly approached the boat.

"Where'd they go?"

"Pull the men out of the water! They ain't dead yet and we need a clear shot at this person!"

I quickly glanced down and around to make sure there weren't. As I was in the water and moving I was probably a shark's first target after all! As the body above me knocked into the boat, I reached around him to grab the boat's side and tugged it down, upsetting the boat once more. As the man above me fell, I pushed his fallen comrade away and grabbed his flailing arm and pulled him under. His other hand punched my stomach, causing me to lose most of my oxygen. I slammed his head against the boat to knock him unconscious before surfacing and gasping for air once more.

 _+12 experience for taking out 1 Pirate_

I saw that the other boat had grabbed the last of the fallen except for the two by me and were now heading my way, angry expressions upon their faces. As I dove down once more I smiled: they'd grabbed the fallen which meant no one was going to drown! Good.

I swam towards the ship, leaving the longboat behind. I'd come back for them later: I had a ship to clear out! Besides: once they heard the sounds of fighting on their ship they'd ignore the _Casanova_ right? I surfaced on the opposite side of the ship and climbed up the side slowly, taking care to not slip or fall. Which was a rather difficult task considering that it was raining and I was soaking wet and had no rope to aid my climb. I need better pants, I thought as I felt the water tugging them downwards; that or a belt.

"Captain, someone's in the water taking out the men." I stopped when I heard a voice cut through the rain. "The last boat's coming back here before it sinks. They managed to grab everyone."

"Change of plans boys. We go in with the _Raging Penguin_ instead! Koji, keep an eye out for this person in the ocean. Marcy, get the unconscious into the medbay once they get here. Shiro, haul the anchor up and let's get into canon range."

'Raging Penguin'? I bit back a chuckle: how was that name supposed to inspire fear? And were the crew all wearing fancy clothes to be… penguin like?

"Captain, our allies will be on the ship. You sure we ought to fire canons at it?"

"Half our crew just got taken out, Koji, we need to even the odds a bit more. Besides the _Swan's_ on the other side of the ship, odds are we'll only hurt the _Casanova_ crew."

Not good! Canon fire meant deaths! I quickly climbed the last few feet and peeked over the side. A short tubby man in a very expensive suit was talking to a bland average looking man in a worn suit with a wicked set of scars crossing his face. About the ship I could see about 10 more men, all armed with either pistols or cutlasses. Pistols were going to be far more dangerous; I made sure to mark were they were so I could keep their own crew between me and them. I pulled myself up over the side of the ship and dashed towards the nearest man.

"Intruder!" One of the more alert crew members spotted me and lifted his pistol to fire. I ducked behind my target and did a double strike to his head to knock him out before I soru-ed towards the next closest pistol user. I was at about half stamina right now and my spirit bar was at about 20%. Using so many soru's and critical strikes were starting to wear upon me. I grabbed this guy and pulled him with me behind the corner of the cabin walls before knocking him out. I glanced quickly at my experience bar to see if I was close enough to a level up or not. 471/500 huh? I need to take out one of the big guys or three of the little ones. I peeked around the corner to get a glance at where they were and grinned. Six goons with pistols: that would get me my level up, status bars refilled, and take out the nasty guns! I tapped the ground quickly with my foot, feeling the spirit energy thrumming in my veins as I prepared for one fast run out there. I took a moment to calm down, clear my mind, and prepare.

I could hear the orders and voices of the pirates but I ignored what they were saying, everything was focused on the fight, where were the sounds coming from, how fast were they moving? My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and everything became focused and narrowed down to just me, my staff and moving targets.

Step, soru dash, fist to the face.

Duck, roll, dash, staff to the jaw.

Soru to the side, leap, smash the staff into another skull.

Searing pain across the bicep as a bullet came close to hitting. Knee to the face of the next goon.

Pain vanishing as words flash across my vision but are ignored as I soru to the next man.

The world feels off, like I'm seeing it from a distance: darkness all around except for the guttering of torches, the flashes as pistols go off. Distant sounds that should be louder but sound like they are so far away. I feel only the wind and rain as I dash at impossible speeds around the ship.

My zone, trance- battle mode I suppose it might be called was suddenly interrupted by a target that fought back. My dance was interrupted and I felt the world snap back into place.

Leaping back I shook my head to try and refocus on the world as sound came rushing back.

 _+120 exp for defeating 10 Pirates_

 _Level up! 95/600 exp_

 _Status bars refilled_

 _+50 to one status, +1 Feat, +1 Stat point. Available to assign at next rest._

The sounds of the pouring rain and howls of anger from the rotund Penguin captain cut through what was left of my trance. That was… interesting. I wonder if I can do it again. My eyes darted to the side where the angry captain was pulling out his two sabers and then back to the man in a worn dress outfit who'd stopped my assault. Koji if I recall the earlier conversation correctly.

"Just a single woman managed to take them all out. We'll have to up the men's training." He said softly as he began to circle me, his cutlass held confidently. "What's a civilian doing using marine techniques?"

I backed up, keeping both him and his circling captain in my vision. "Marine techniques?" Was rokushiki a marine style of combat? Interesting.. and potentially a bad thing considering I was not a marine.

"Capture her Koji. We'll get that technique from her. Take a limb off to make sure she can't fight back." The rotund captain glared at me and I shrugged.

"Not like I could teach you how to do this…" I muttered to myself because honestly I cheated! I had a spirit bar and found using my spirit easier than others might. I decided to leave Koji for last as he seemed far more dangerous. Plus he'd pissed me off.

Unfortunately for me, Koji was too good at keeping up and I never managed to get the captain alone. Every strike I sent was blocked by his blade and I'd have to jump quickly away to avoid the captains blades.

"Can't you let him fight his own battles?" I growled in annoyance as this occurred yet again.

"To fight the captain you'll have to go through the whole crew first." Koji growled back.

"Be that way…" I turned my focus to the annoying Koji and gathered my spirit once more, pouring it into the staff for a critical strike. As I dashed forward I quickly soru-ed to the side then behind him, letting loose my critical strike at the back of his legs. He gave a quick cry of pain and collapsed. I almost fell as well as I felt a blade slide into my lower back.

"Fu—" I quickly turned and slammed my staff as hard as I could into the sneak who'd gotten behind me. As he crumpled I gave him a few extra blows just in case. The jerk! That sneaky too smart fiend! He'd predicted I'd get behind Koji and just waited for me! Never underestimate pirates, Jasmine. I told myself, they'll always do something to surprise you in the worse way.

 _Captain Aozora "Gentleman Sadist" Sadao defeated +30 Exp_

Koji tried to attack from where he'd fallen but I slammed my staff into his skull, planting the face into the ground.

 _First Mate, Ogura "Bloody Wall" Koji defeated +40 exp._

"Pause." I said and felt the world stop. All sound ceased, all movement stopped, and a strange grey film covered everything, making it seem mist filled. I carefully grabbed the sword sticking out of my back and pulled it out as gently as I could. The pain, it seemed, was not stopped by the pause. When I let go of the blade it simple floated in midair; the pause affecting it as it left my hand.

Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I quickly pulled out some bandages and wrapped them about my upper bicep where a bullet had grazed me to stop the bleeding as well as about the newest and most painful wound. I sighed and simply rested for a bit, taking advantage of the pause to recover a bit. As nice as leveling up was in refilling my status bars, it didn't quite get rid of all the exhaustion building up in my muscles. I stared up at the frozen raindrops, admiring the view for a bit before wondering if I could level up during a pause… I seemed to recall something like that in the guide.

I grinned when I pulled up my character sheet and saw I could in fact do so. Yes! So 50 to my health since I was hurting right now and had an entire crew to go fight. Stat point to my body since I really needed more stamina and endurance. I could not, I noticed, choose a feat. Ah well.

[[Jasmine Bio 1 ]]

"Right… There's one longboat left but I should get back to the Casanova and help out there." I mutter to myself and tried to step towards the edge of the ship. Try being the key word here. I had barely moved a few inches forward when pin pricks stopped me. Solid, immovable pin pricks at that.

…

…

…

Was the rain stopping me from moving? I tried to squeeze between some of the drops, but the pouring rain made it very hard to find a large enough space to fit my tall body.

"Really world? Really?" Apparently being unable to affect the world meant even rain drops couldn't be moved! "Be that way- unpause."

I glared at the four men that were even now climbing over the side of the boat and charging me. I had just used up my once a month pause only to be blocked by rain drops! I charged to meet them, shoving aside the pain that lanced through my back.

TWACK, THUNK, THUD. CLANG! Four quick heavy strikes later- make that five as one had metal reinforcement in his hat; I was alone once more on the boat. Normally I would try to loot them before heading back, but I was on a timer here.

 _+48 exp for defeating 4 Pirates_

I leapt from the boat and dove under the water, feeling the pain decrease as soon as the water hit. Time to finish event off, I thought as I swam back.

As I was swimming a strange force? Feeling? Something anyways hit. It was invisible to the eye but I could feel an almost physical force upon my brain. It was there and then gone, leaving me staggered but aware. As I climbed up the side of the _Casanova_ , I noticed I was one of the few awake. The deck was covered in people simply lying down upon the deck, unconscious. What happened here?

* * *

 **POV: Shanks**

The ringing of the alarm bell pulled him from his slumber and the young man fell out of his hammock, hand reaching for his sword even before he was fully awake. The sound of pounding feet outside and above him told him something was going on. It couldn't have been the storm getting worse as the wood beneath his feet was only moving in the slow gentle rolls a calm sea normally caused.

An attack? As a pirate himself, he knew this ship was a tempting target with the vault of gold from the Oceanic Bank and the rich traveler on board. The risk was, for a Blue Sea, fairly high as the crew was all trained to fight. For someone from the Grand Line they were nothing but not so for others.

Understanding it didn't make it better though; as a passenger he would either be killed or robbed. Not that I have anything of value to them, he smirked at that thought as he joined the rest of the people heading towards the top deck. Or the ship would be taken as a prize and he and the others would be left stranded in small longboats; something he definitely did not want. A heavy downpour soaked him instantly as he stepped out. To the left a huge ship loomed out of the darkness and he opened his mind to focus upon his Kenbunshoku no Haki and feel the aura's of each person's soul. To his left was a mass of light and color, each aura marginally stronger than the _Casanova's_ crew's auras. Five blazed even brighter and he knew if he wanted a good fight he needed to go after them. But what startled him most was what lay to his right, off in the darkness behind the rain. Jasmine and her very odd soul was in the water and- was she assaulting a ship on her own? Crazy lady! Most souls were bright and vivid; hers wasn't. Instead of a solid aura hers had only a shell of light with a core of something in it, something that reminded him of a dying person's aura. It'd weirded him out at first and he'd wondered if she was dying; except she showed no sign of old age, disease, or life threatening wounds. Hers was not the first soul like this he'd sensed either; a dying soul covered in a shell of light. He'd sensed a few others while he was sailing upon his Captain's ship, but even the Dark King Rayleigh who'd taught him had no idea what it meant.

He looked over as another shining aura, stronger than his, approached. It was Phil.

"What's happening over there lad?"

"Jasmine's fighting a ship out there."

"Alone?"

"Yeah…" Shanks looked over at the much larger ship as orders from both Captains were being shouted and grappling hooks were being thrown to connect the two ships. "Though we might need to stay here instead of helping. I don't think anyone else on the Casanova can take on some of the people I'm sensing." He glanced back at the darkness where he knew the older woman was. It sounded wrong to just leave her alone out there but what else could he do? She was strong; strong enough that he'd lost when he wasn't using his haki.

"Useful thing Haki. I ought to learn it." Phil muttered as he shrugged. "Lass can take care of herself for now. And if not well we can finish this up fast then go help her."

"Person with the least amount of kills has to pay for breakfast." Boulra said with a smug smirk as he joined them.

"Defeats not kills." Phil remarked absently. "Killing should be your last option not your first."

"Be that way." Boulra muttered but didn't argue as he ran to meet the charging pirates.

"Well in that case;" Shanks grinned as his competitive spirit woke up. "I think I got this in the bag."

Battle was joined as Shanks took a deep breath and focused, his face hardening as his amber eyes gleamed as he looked up and released his hao-shoku haki. He imposed his will upon the world around him, releasing what some called the disposition of a king, in an unseen wave that could knock out the weak. He'd once seen his Captain even damage the world around him with his haoshoku haki but he was still young and had awoken it only recently.

He sighed in disappointment as he only managed to knock out most of the people around him instead of all. Pity. But at least this way there'd be less death.

All around him people fell as his will overcame there's. Phil and Boulra staggered and looked around in astonishment at the fallen bodies. They were not the only ones who did so.

"Well I'll be damned…" Boulra whispered in astonishment.

* * *

 **AN: End of Chapter! :D Dear lord long fights are hard to write! XD And no I don't do the whole "yell out my special attacks" thing. Mostly cause I have no clue on how to write Japanese attacks/translating or even naming attacks. I prefer to try and write the actions out. Also yes, Jasmine does realize there are devil fruits out there: however it's not the first thing on her mind when she see's someone transforming into a dog. If you saw it wouldn't you think maybe it's a werewolf too? XD She's gonna be disappointed it's not lycanthrope when she talks it out with her new friends later on. (that's also the whole "I'm a devil!" thing the captain declared. He is a devil fruit user: therefor a devil in the minds of poor superstitious villagers)**

 **You notice Jasmine thinks of the haki in English while others will use different versions (either color of x or the Japanese name). This is based on how they learned it; different people use different words or dialects across the world.**

 **Thanks to all who have reviewed, faved, and followed~ :3**

 **I do happen to have hte next chapter done but still doing some minor edits to help it flow better. I feel like I've been writing this ship fight for months ^^;**


	8. Chapter 8: Casanova under attack! part 2

**An: it does get a bit graphic at one point when she's cauterizing a wound so forewarning for that. Also: turns out I've forgotten she had glasses and was supposed to be near sighted sooo… going to go back and edit the first few chapters to remove that bit of info. She's got normal sight.**

* * *

 **POV: Captain Loran Swan**

Things had not gone according to plan. The plan, if the buffoons who'd supposedly allied themselves with her, was for that stupid Hound dog to sneak in with his smaller ship to take out the watch and secure the deck. Then, as her crew attacked from one side, the imbecile Penguins would send in long boats under the cover of the rain and dark to attack unseen from the other. It was supposed to be an easy target with rich rewards. A bank operative plus rich merchant with only a moderately trained crew and no marines close enough to help if they got a denden call off.

And yet _somehow_ , the tall brunette's green eyes narrowed here as she took in the situation, there were no other pirates in sight, most of her crew had been taken out by an odd unseen force, and there were passengers on board who were quite dangerous. It was like everything that could have gone wrong had and she wasn't sure who to blame and punish for this disaster. The only silver lining was the odd force that had reduced her crew to foaming unconscious bodies had affected the other crew as well so she still had a slight numbers advantage.

Her sharp eyes noticed a figure pausing at the edge of the light, hanging off the ships edge for a moment before pulling themselves up. At first she thought it finally the stupid Penguins but no. They were all male and wore fancy black and white tuxedo like outfits while this was a tall female in loose pants and tank top. Tall, dark skinned and exhausted… who could you be? She wondered as she glared at the other female. The way she held herself was that of someone who'd been in a long fight. Is she the reason why this is taking too much effort? Loran Swan's eyes narrowed as she changed up her plan; she'd found the one to punish for this failure.

"Mito." She growled out to a man nearby with a long rifle. "Stay on board with a few people and snipe them out. Yakoto you go for that Captain and Larop you take on that tall older man…. He seems to be the most dangerous out of who are left."

"What about you, Capt'n?" Her first mate Yakoto, a broad bald man covered in scars and tattoos, asked curiously as the others moved to obey.

"I'm going straight for the tall wench coming in from the back—she came from where the idiot Penguins were _supposed_ to be. She either took them out or drove them off. Anyone who could do that is a threat."

"Aye aye." Yakoto tightened his metal reinforced fighting gloves before preparing to leap across.

* * *

 **Change POV: Back to Jasmine.**

I hurt. Sure the wounds aren't really bleeding anymore but they throb and ache continuously. Even the week old wound to my thigh is acting up! And there's still one last fight to do. Apparently leveling wasn't a cure all because the exhaustion from fighting was still lingering in my veins and weighing my limbs down! I was exhausted: there was no way around it. Despite the game like aspects of who I was I was still human, still alive. It made me oddly glad though frankly the timing on finding this out was bad.

I had to pause and let my muscles rest just a bit before I finished hauling myself up onto the _Casanova's_ deck. As I paused I looked over to see what had happened so far. I saw a lot of fallen bodies except… I glanced at the event tracker. No notices so far about failing that special. Were they dead or not? And what had been that wave of force?

Questions for later and I hope someone had an answer! I finished hauling myself up and walked slowly over towards the small group of upright people. They were, I noted with amusement, all in various stages of undress. And this is why I go to sleep in clothing I can get up and walk about in! I bet it'd be a lot more embarrassing if I'd had to fight in my underwear like Boulra was.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden onslaught of combat as the vastly decreased pirate crew swarmed over the ropes towards our ship. Several of the figures were better dressed and moved with confidence and purpose, marking them as the dangerous and probably higher leveled foes. One such figure came running straight towards me; a tall pretty woman dressed in a long green vest with a frilled white blouse beneath it. Her dark brown hair glinted wetly under the flickering lamplight as she brandished a beautiful katana with golden decoration as she moved with a dancer's grace.

I watched as she dodged among the crowd, a sharpshooter guarding her back as she headed right for me, a scowl twisting her pretty features. Why me, why was she targeting me? She just bypassed several others! Oh sure go for the exhausted person! Who- happened to come from where your allies should have…Ah, she must have figured out I had foiled the attack for the most part. I sighed and readied myself for the incoming foe.

I took a step forward to meet her charge head on, my bo staff solidly stopping her downward slash.

She glared at me through the crossed weapons.

"You! You're the one that ruined my carefully laid plans!"

"You say it like that's a bad thing." I replied cheekily with a tired grin as I shoved her backwards, putting all my considerable mass and strength behind it. She stumbled backwards, her eyes widening briefly as she found herself off balance. Her delicate lips twisted into a sneer.

"I'll show you why it's a bad thing to go against the Emerald Corsairs!" She dodged to the side with considerable speed and grace and stabbed. I flinched as my staff connected and a deep bell tone rang out. There's no way something that delicate can sound like a large bell! My distraction allowed her to swing her blade around my defense to cut my unwounded arm. I flipped my staff upwards so the lower end smacked her heavily in the jaw as she smirked at me. My back wound flared up in pain and I felt the small amount of healing come undone from my fast movements. A quick glance at my status showed a bleeding effect was once again slowly draining my health bar; the wound had reopened and would need attention soon.

"Someone likes noisy toys." I grumbled as our exchanged blows continuously caused a bell tone to ring out. It was really hard to get into a fighting mode when wedding bells kept ringing out! Distracting and annoying! "Ever heard of being quiet and discreet?"

"A peasant such as yourself would not understand the beauty of my Gōrudenkorāru!" She sneered at me and I gave her a weird look.

"Is that like a fighting style? Cause if so I think you made that up…" I swayed backwards to dodge her angry slash and did my best to avoid giving away what was happening behind her; like Phil approaching, a graceful whirlwind with the force of a wrecking ball currently approaching very fast and very silently.

"Gōrudenkorāru is my -!" Her sentence was cut off abruptly as Phil's staff knocked her unconscious.

 _Captain Loran "Jewel Thief" Swan defeated with help, decreased exp: +50 exp._

"Um.. thanks?" I said as I took a breather. I may have been doing decently on status bars but my body was saying it was tired. Decreased exp gain if I have help? Interesting… at least I knew that if I merely helped fight then still got some exp. Though 50 was a lot! Perhaps she was actually a big shot and Phil had saved me from more wounds?

"No problem." He frowned as he noticed the bandages. "Your movements were slower and stiff so I figured something was up and you might need a hand."

"I could have handled it but yeah…" I grimaced as I ran a hand across the bandages across the back wound and it came back red. "Stab wound to the lower back."

"Get that seen too and then look to the wounded." He ordered. I stiffened and glared back.

"I can still fight!"

"And risk bleeding out?" He shook his head. "You've fought enough lass... and there are worse wounded that need help. See to them first before you try to get yourself hurt some more!" With that the older man turned and jumped back into the fray.

Stupid chivalry and male dominated society treating me like I was delicate! I grumbled to myself as I ducked behind a barrel to avoid the gunshots incoming and redid my bandages and took care of that annoying bleeding status effect. But I was exhausted from the earlier fight and he did have a good reason; I could use my first aid knowledge to help others. As I looked around for the wounded I saw something that made me stiffen in anger: one of the pirates bending over a fallen crew member with a knife in his hands. Not on my watch he wasn't!

I growled and soru-ed over to quickly knock him away before he could kill any of the unconscious people. Filthy coward! Killing those who couldn't fight back! My staff came down with a bit too much force and dented another pirate's head into the deck.

 _1 Pirate defeated + 15 exp._

15? I take it these guys are more dangerous than the other ones? Nice! But- I sighed and tore off the pirate's shirt to make some extra bandages; I needed to keep people alive more than I needed to go out and hit things. I'll let the boys deal with it instead! I noticed the pirate I'd taken out had a flask of whiskey on him; that I took as well to help disinfect any wounds. I dodged into combat and grabbed one of the men bleeding quite seriously from several bullet wounds.

"I'm going to remove the bullets then bandage you up, it'll hurt a bit." I told the sweating pale man and he nodded gratefully. It was but a few moments to carefully extract the bullets, give him a drink of the whiskey after he managed to not scream as I disinfected and bandaged his wounds.

 _+10 exp for saving a life._

I got experience for saving lives? Sweet! "Stay here and don't die." I ordered the trembling man and he nodded.

I repeated this process four times, running in to grab the wounded and pulling them out of the way and bandaging them up all the while dodging gun shots. After one too many close calls I took the time to find out where the sniper was. There he was; a shadowy figure way up I the crow's nest across the way! Must have a really nice rifle to reach this far this accurately.

"Someone take out the sharp shooter!" I pitched my voice so it would cut through combat. "He's in the crow's nest on the pirate ship!" Shank's must have heard me as he was suddenly running across the ropes connecting our ships to go deal with it. Nice boy that one!

However several others noticed as well and two more pirates came at me with cutlasses swinging.

Thwack THUD. A quick soru behind them and critical strikes took them down nicely. From my new point I noticed yet another scumbag trying to go for the fallen; seriously what was with these cowards?

As I traversed the deck aiming at the coward, I noticed some pretty epic looking fights occurring. There wasn't a lot of crew from either side now, and only the strong were left. The sounds of fighting had been replaced mostly with whimpers and groans of the fallen. I could hear gunshots coming from the other ship; Shanks must still be over there alive and fighting. Boulra and the _Casanova_ Captain were fighting a bald martial artist whose fists were doing some serious damage to the deck while Phil had engaged a swordsman in an epic battle of whirling weapons, blindingly fast dodges, and ship wrecking attacks. I felt a little jealous of their epic battles and wished I could join in but I had lives to save!

Once I was out of the range of the melee I soru'ed towards the cowardly pirate; my knee connecting with his face as he bent over to coup de gra the _Casanova_ chef. He hit the ship railing and fell overboard with a screech; I ignored him in favor of bending over to attempt to save the chef's live. His left leg had completely been chopped off and was draining blood at an alarming rate. A simple quick alcohol cleaning and bandage wasn't going to be enough to save him. My eyes caught sight of the lamp nearby and I knew what I needed to do.

I soaked a shirt ripped off an unconscious crew member nearby in the oil from the lamp.

"Sorry man… but I need to get it to stop bleeding. I hope you don't wake up from this…" I muttered as I poured some of the whiskey on the wound and lit the cloth on fire and put it to the wound. A sickening scent of burning flesh and a sizzling sound filled the air and after a bit I pulled the burning cloth away and tossed it over the side of the rail. The chef stirred from his unconscious state with a whimper. My stomach was queasy and unsettled at the sight and smell; this was something I did not want to do but I needed to… otherwise who knew what sort of infections would creep in or if he'd live? I could see the severed bone and the exposed muscles twitching in the air.

"Almost done." I murmured as I poured a bit more whiskey on it to make sure it was clean before using the last of my clean bandages instead of the torn clothing I had been taking from crew members.

The man whimpered and slid into pained consciousness and tried to thrash around. I carefuly restrained him so he didn't hurt himself anymore.

 _+10 for saving a life_

 _+1 to Mind for calmly analyzing the situation and correctly acting upon the diagnostic in a time sensitive and stressful situation_

"Sorry you had to wake up to that." I handed him the last of the whiskey; he needed it! "I cauterized and bandaged it so you'll live." He nodded gratefully, drained the alcohol then slid back under, the pain too much apparently. What a terrible time to wake up! I lifted him up gently princess style and moved him further off to the side so no one would stumble over him. Then I turned around to see the final acts of the fight.

The sudden lack of gun shots told me Shanks was successful. And, yup, there he was skipping across the ropes back to our ship. Boulra and the Captain did a beautifully executed pincer attack and managed to knock their opponent out as Phil literally grabbed the swordsman and body slammed him into the mast, causing the entire ship to shiver slightly.

I noticed several of the pirates were bleeding out from Boulra's attacks so I bandaged those up as everyone else took the time to catch their breath and realize they'd won.

 _Event Completed:_

 _Successfully Survived the Night: +50 exp, +1 Stat point_

 _Robbery stopped: +25 exp, +1 uncommon item_

 _Item Awarded: Packet of chocolate flower seeds is now located in your pack._

 _Casanova Saved!: +25 exp, +1 Treasure chest_

 _Chest awarded: it is now located in your room._

 _No one has died this night!: +100 exp, +1 Random Feat._

 _Feat Awarded: Ear of the Critic._

 _+10 Prestige for acts of heroism._

 _Level up to Level 7! 23/700_

 _Status Bars all refilled. +1 Stat point +1 Skill point_

 _Points to be assigned at next rest._

I wanted to investigate the items I'd earned and the chest as well as that feat but first I had to get people all bandaged up, make sure no one killed anyone, and loot the ships.

"Why exactly are you bandaging the pirates?" I looked up to see the bleeding Captain of the _Casanova_ looking at me curiously.

"Cause they're people and we've already defeated them. No reason to make them suffer." I smiled slightly as I responded. "If you could all line up I'll make sure everything's bandaged and if you've broken any bones I can set those too."

"Ohhhh. You're a doctor too?" Shanks gave me a wide grinned and I shook my head.

"I know only the basics; first aid stuff for the most part. I only recently learned most of it from Kellbar Island while I was recovering actually."

I noticed Boulra looking over at where I'd gone to fight off the penguins. "There's another pirate ship over there, Boulra." I called over as I started to tend to the Captain and Phil began to drag crew members over and tie up the pirates. "Could you go over and make sure they're all tied up? Most of them are unconscious and might be waking up soon." He nodded and slipped over the side.

I finished my work then looked over towards where Boulra was moving about in the dark. "I'm going to go investigate the _Raging Penguin_."

"The what?" Shanks snickered and I grinned and pointed towards the ship Boulra had gone to secure.

"It's that ship! I figure I might as well claim some of the loot and help Boulra with the pirates."

"Ah… speaking of that: I'll be right back. I need to call the marines so they can pick these scoundrels up." Our ship's captain mentioned as he strode off toward a door where I could see a pale bulbous face peeking out of. "We have won the night, sir. You can rest easily once more." I heard our captain (what was his name?) say as I headed towards the edge of the ship, stopping only to grab the shiny sword from where it'd fallen from the Swan Captain's hands after she fell.

Across the way I found Boulra in the kitchen, eagerly rolling out some barrels of what I presumed to be alcohol to put into one of the long boats. He was also, much to my amusement, still in his boxers; not that I minded! He was rather ripped and his lean form looked a lot more dangerous now that he wasn't hiding underneath unassuming clothes and I did appreciate eye candy.

"Couldn't wait to get some alcohol ehh? Not even taking the time to put some pants on?" I teased him as I began looking around for some recipes for alcohol.

"Booze always comes first. Besides, I'm not embarrassed of showing off." He flexed as I rolled my eyes and went back to looking around for some recipes.

I got lucky in a small personal book of recipes; there was a handwritten one for Gladstone rum! Something new and a different type than I had already! I pocketed that and began to rummage around in the captains quarters, finding only a small map of North blue and a treasure map to add to my collection.

It appeared that Boulra had managed to clean out most of the treasure room in the short time I'd been browsing books. I did find a half full chest he hadn't stolen yet full of some lovely carvings and statuettes with some gems embedded as well as some jewelry. I looked up as Boulra came back down.

"You cleaned this place out!"

"Figured I'd get everything across then we could split it... most of it to you since you took out this ship."

"I don't need all of it." I shook my head in amusement. "Thanks though. Can I have this chest? I like the statues and carvings."

He shrugged. "I prefer beri's."

"And booze."

"That too." I followed him out and loaded all the pirates into the extra longboats to ferry them across where we could keep an eye on them while Boulra transported the other ones. One of treasure, the other of booze.

Then I wandered over to find Phil and Shanks doing the same to the _Emerald Swan_. They looked to have most things under control so I focused on more maps or recipes as well as stealing the really nice deep emerald green long sleeved captain's coat with a long flared tail. It had dark green and blue embroidery all about the edges with a large stylized egret amid white jasmine like flowers embroidered upon the back. I like my comfy clothes but a girl's gotta have something nice right? Besides, it fit my broad shoulders perfectly! I grabbed some of the green bandannas as well since they were so lovely.

I hopped back over to find most of the people were waking up. All the treasure chests and barrels were suspiciously not present at all and I saw Shanks motion me over.

"We hid most of the stuff in your room since you actually have a room." He said softly. "Phil said he'd stay up here to make sure everyone stay's tied up so if you want to head down, Boulra and I were going to split everything now."

"Sure." I wonder exactly what they'd found after all. I noticed him looking at the coat curiously.

"I found it and it fits." I said with a grin as I headed down. "I don't have anything this nice."

"It looks like a captain's coat… you thinking of being a captain?"

"I'd like my own ship one day. And I am going to go on an adventure in the Grandline so I suppose I might." I entered my small room to find it overflowing with too much stuff. "I think I need a bigger room. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"The barrels will be empty soon enough." Boulra grinned and Shank's eyes lit up.

"What types did you find?"

"Ohara Sake, Gladstone Rum, Elderberry wine, some Golden Ale, and a single barrel of Sparkling wine."

"I'll claim some of the small bottles instead of the barrels. Easier for me to carry." I spoke up. "You guys can have all the barrels."

"Treasure wise I split em up into four chests I found… I already left a small one in the _Casanova_ captain's quarters since he actually fought so everything here is for us hard workers." Boulra pointed to a large chest next to the small one I'd found on the _Raging Penguin_. "I left yours in that chest next to the small one you found and the one you already had in here." One I already-? Aahhhh: the event chest!

"Thanks!" I looked inside to see what exactly he'd given me. I decided to trust him on being honest since what I could see meant that it was pretty equally split plus I wasn't really that greedy. I had my levels in addition to my event chest!

"By the way…" Shanks spoke up, his tone sly. "I don't suppose you know how many you took out Jasmine?"

"Hmm?" I looked up from my chests. "Umm.. There were 4 from the first crew… Sea Hounds or something. They left after I took their captain out. Then…" I paused as I counted the Penguins and Swans. "I think 29 after that? So 32?"

"Drat, that's more than my score." Boulra muttered. "I still say your strange thing that knocked our crew unconscious should count as negative towards your score, Shanks." He said as Shanks laughed.

"Score?" I asked in confusion.

"Boulra said whoever had the least amount of people defeated had to pay for tomorrow's breakfast… I used my haki to knock out most of the swan pirates."

"Emerald Corsairs. The Swan Captain lady called her crew that." I corrected absently as I recalled the captain's words as well as thinking about this haki. "Haki that knocks them unconscious... is that Conqueror's haki?"

"You know of it?" Shanks looked surprised as Boulra looked confused.

"What's this Haki?"

"Will power!" Shanks responded.

"Conqueror's haki is really rare. Like one in a million rare." Was my response. "I read a lot." I gave my excuse as to their questioning looks. "I know there's also Armament and Observational haki as well."

"The color of armament and color of observation. Or Busoshuki no haki and Kenbunshoku no haki if you feel fancy." Phil said as he entered, having caught the last bit. "You don't often find it out in the blue seas."

"I've been to the Grandline as a cabin boy." Shanks explained with a cheeky grin. "I had a teacher after I unlocked my conqueror's haki so I can sorta use it. Works better if I feel strongly about something though. Otherwise it's a hit or miss."

"Do you know the others?"

"Sorta? I haven't unlocked armament yet but Ray—my teacher taught me what he could."

"Could you share that?" My eyes lit up at the idea; so you had to unlock them somehow? Did that mean even if I reached the requirements they still wouldn't let me choose that skill unlit something happened?

"Sure. Mostly it's just blindfold yourself and get hit by a stick until you unlock it." His voice was very dry as he said that. Boulra and I stared at him and he shrugged. "That's what they told me! Apparently you either get tough enough that you awaken the armament or you learn to see the incoming blow and awaken observation. I woke mine up in fights actually so I guess challenge strong people to unlock em?"

"Shesh… well it would make for a good spar if we went blindfolded… practice for situations where you are blinded I guess." I shook my head and went back to my chests as I listened to the boys bicker.

"Jasmine got 32, I got like 70 or more, and Boulra managed 15. What'd you get Phil?"

"Only 6 since that swordsman took up a lot of my time. I guess that means I pay for breakfast…. Good thing the Captain told me that we eat for free the rest of the trip as long as it's within reason since we saved the ship and kept them from stealing the gold on board."

"Nice!"

"That means you can pay for the first meal we eat when we reach an island." I chipped in as I finished sorting through the various stones and jewelry pieces in the big chest and moved on to admire the carvings and statuettes I'd gotten.

"Ah... I found this for you Jasmine. Since you mentioned being a navigator." Boulra pulled out a small wooden box with brass decorations. In the middle was a beautifully made compass with delicate ornate designs in the brass parts.

"Thanks!" I gave him a big smile. "Oh… You use a cutlass right? Do you know how to use a katana? I picked up this from the last captain." I pointed towards my stolen blade and both he and Shank's shook their heads.

"I prefer cutlasses."

"I like sabers more." Shank's said as he eyed the katana. "Is that the thing that was making all the bell sounds?"

"Gōrudenkorāru is its name and it is a stolen blade from … I think it's the Medici royal family?" Phil said from his position by his share of the loot. "Went missing about a decade ago so the lady captain probably took it from someone who stole it originally."

"Golden coral ehh? Pretty name for a pretty blade. Annoying though." Boulra said as he broke open one of the barrels and handed out fancy stolen mugs from his loot pile to the rest of us.

"It's like… 3 am in the morning. Are we really drinking now?" I eyed the drink as the men about me chortled.

"It's always time for sake!" Shanks laughed as he downed his easily. Kid apparently was a drinker even at his young age.

"Let me see your back first." Phil said with a stern glare at me. The other two looked confused for a second. "If it's deep it will need stiches which I can do." His voice told me he was perfectly fine with sitting on me if need be. I grumbled but turned around and removed the bindings any ways.

The hiss from Shanks told me it didn't look pretty.

"Gonna need several stiches for that… you fought and _swam_ with that?" Boulra asked; his normally dry bored tone tinged with respect.

"Now I'm doubly glad I told you to look after the wounded." Phil muttered as I heard him pulling something out. "Lay down lass, I'm going to need to stich that up."

"She still fought a bit afterwards." The tattletale! "Get her drunk first otherwise it's going to hurt since we don't have pain killers." Shanks smirked at me. "Might as well see how high her alcohol tolerance is while we're at it!"

"… I'm getting the urge to shove you into a barrel and deny you alcohol for a week." I growled at Shanks who laughed and handed me another mug.

"Drink up Jasmine! Unless you want to be awake and completely aware while he's stitching you up?"

I had no real choice in the matter since I did _not_ want to be completely cognizant while that happened.

Turns out it takes me 4 mugs of good sake to get drunk and 8 to go unconscious. As Shanks gleefully told me the next morning over my hangover… the fiend.

* * *

[[Jasmine bio 1]]

 **AN: That was a long ass fight XD And she still hasn't finished leveling up or finding out all her loot. Her character sheet contains it all listed though :3 Doing my best to not go into gory description of stuff since I know some peeps have lower tolerances than I.**

 **Hmmm I am not getting notices when peeps update so sorry for the slow response to you all who have reviewed!**


	9. Chapter 9: Shattered Heart Island

**AN: sorry for the really long wait. I pretty much had a dead muse art and writing wise for the past 6 months. Hopefully I can get back to writing and get further into this story! The next chapter is half way written so things look like I have recovered my my writers block!**

* * *

I awoke with a hangover to a person shaking my shoulder and speaking far too loudly.

"Merrrggghhhh…leave me alooone." I moaned as I curled up tighter in a ball and tried to stop suffering. It felt like everywhere was coated in a layer of itchy scratching sand, inside and out, and my insides needed to be gouged out with a spoon.

"Miss, some marines are here to gather up the pirate crews and need to clarify that you are indeed Jasmine so they can award you your bounties." The loud voice vibrated through my head and I whimpered in pain.

"'M Jasmine... and I'm _suffering_ …."

"She does match the description so we can let her be. We'll deposit the money into her account with the Oceanic Bank." An amused voice said, his shriller voice sending a lance of pain through my sensitive head.

"Sshhh." I hissed and burrowed back into my blankets and oblivion.

I woke up later feeling much better and in dire need of a bath and water. My head no longer felt like a dwarf was inside trying to mine his way out and the scratchy sandy feeling was mostly gone.

 _Oceanic Bank Funds increased. New total: 16,930,000_

 _Bounties collected:15,980,000_

 _Aozora 'Gentleman Sadist' Sado Captain of the Raging Penguin. Bounty of 4,670,000 Beri_

 _Ogura 'Bloody Wall' Koji of the Tuxedo Pirates. Bounty of 5,010,000 Beri_

 _Loran Swan Captain of the Emerald Swan. Bounty of 6,300,000 Beri_

The flashing notifications drew my eye and I couldn't help but frown as it awarded me Loran Swan's bounty. Phil had taken her out not me! On the other hand: Woooo! I was rich! Enough to get a ship maybe?

Find water, food, Phil, and… then finish leveling up! I staggered up the stairs and flinched as the bright lights hurt my eyes. Why did I drink that much again? I entered the cafeteria and headed to the buffet immediately. I saw Shank's and Boulra in a corner and headed there after I grabbed my food.

"Sleeping Beauty finally awakes." Boulra smirked for a second as he took in my appearance. "Hung over?"

"Uhhggg… Why did I let you all convince me to drink again? Where's Phil?"

"He's sleeping in as well. Said something about his old bones aching…" They both grinned at my first question and Boulra answered the second. "You missed the Marines showing up."

"I distinctly recall being woken up, feeling terrible and hearing voices. When'd they get here?"

"Around noon. It's late afternoon right now." Boulra answered my unspoken question. "Phil told me to let you know you need to not move around a lot and he's willing to make you drink yourself into oblivion again if that's what will keep you stationary and let you heal."

"We should call him grandpa with how he fusses over people." Shanks laughed loudly as he stole some of my food. "How much of a bounty did you get? That sniper guy I took out gave me 3 million and Boulra here got five million for the first mate!"

"Almost 16 million though I need to give about 6 mill of it to Phil since he took out the Swan chick not me."

"…How do you know you got that much?" Phil gave me a sharp glance. And I realized that I'd messed up slightly; I'd admitted to sleeping through the visit and yet somehow knew exactly how much I'd gotten without spending time to count it all.

"It's in my bank. They also left a note." The lie came easily though I felt bad for doing so.

"Nice! I could buy a whole ship full of booze for that." Shank's eyes were glowing and I laughed.

"I intend to buy an actual ship with it. How much do you think I need for that?"

"How big you thinking of going?"

"Well… Eventually I want to build a floating tavern but till then… a small ship? Crew of maybe five people?" I hadn't actually thought of how large a crew I would need if I sailed on my own or if I was going to join a crew rather than gain my own. "How large of a crew do I need if I do try and buy a ship?"

"Tavern would be expensive! Think several hundred million. A brig with a crew of fifteen would cost you minimum of 80 million. Sloop for five or ten might cost you 50 to 80 million. Depends on the wood types, how good you are at haggling or getting discounts, and any special things you want done. If they have a premade ship you can probably drop 10 mill off the price tag but it'll still cost you quite a bit. Crew wise depends on what you're thinking of doing. Most of the smaller ships need at least fifteen or twenty people to sail it but there's a handful of schooner and sloop styles that can be handled with less." Boulra sounded rather informed about the topic so I grilled him some more on it while Shank's listened in eagerly. I had an idea that he was also thinking of his future and a ship.

It appeared that for my ship I would probably need 50 million if I wanted to make sure it was built the way I wanted it with enough space for me to put in a small brewery. I had pretty much 40 million sitting in both of my banks right now, including the money I needed to give Phil for his bounty though why he didn't claim it himself I didn't know.

"Where did you learn all this?" Shanks asked curiously after we finished eating and they headed to my room, apparently to finish looking at their loot. I looked around, feeling much more alive and awake than I had before thanks to the food and water, and saw that the _Casanova_ was fixed and cleaned for the most part. You could definitely tell where Phil was fighting though; I smirked as I saw the deep gouges into the mast and deck where he or the swordsman had hit.

"Worked on the docks as a kid. You learn a lot of things if you're smart and keep an ear and eye open." Boulra answered vaguely. I got the feeling there was more to it than that but I didn't pry. "Always fancied going out to sea but didn't have the chance till Phil offered to take me along with him. Met him at the dojo where he trained when he was younger. It's where he returned to teach after he journeyed the Grandline." He answered Shank's question before the teenager could voice it.

"Phil did promise us some stories…" I trailed off as they just entered my room causally and Phil was already there. "Sheesh- you guys have no shame!"

"Sit lass. Let me check the stiches and then you stay sitting for the rest of the day." Phil ordered, his eyes glinting with amusement at my complaint.

"The bounty for the swan captain should be yours Phil. Why'd you give it to me?" I obeyed with a roll of my eyes.

"I didn't feel like getting known for bounty hunting." I twisted around to look at him suspiciously. That sounded like a fake answer and from the large ass smirk on his face he knew it too.

"Not that I'm complaining about the money but couldn't you come up with a better excuse?"

"Too much effort." He looked at the stiches and hummed under his breath. "You're healing up rather fast. However for the rest of the trip to Shattered Heart you need to be quiet and not spar. Or run. Or climb things."

"Or do anything except drink and sing." Boulra added in.

"Yes dad." I grumbled under my breath, making them all laugh. "So did anyone actually count how much we ended up getting in treasure? I know we split it up but I certainly didn't count it all."

"If I sold everything at the usual market price we'd each get about 30,000 beri each." Boulra answered. "Though some of the jewelry might go for more and your carvings could be sold a lot higher if you got the right buyer. And whatever your fancy bell sword would go for. It's a meito-named or famous blade;" He saw my confused look and quickly clarified, "so it'll be worth a lot. I don't think it's a Wazamono… What do you think Shank's?"

"The name rings a bell actually." I groaned at his pun and he grinned. "I think it is a regular Wazamono and not one of the higher grade blades."

"Sword nerds! What's a wazamono and why should it matter?" I smiled in amusement at Boulra and Shank's huffs of indignation.

"Wazamono is a meito that's sharper and stronger than any regular blade, meito or otherwise. It takes a skilled smith to make it. There's different grades. The 12 Saijo O Wazamono, the 21 O Wazamono, and the 50 Ryo Wazamono. A plain old Wazamono is the lowest grade a sword of note can be of; a regular sword would lose against a plain Wazamono. If a meito isn't a Wazamono then it's just a decent sword associated with a famous person or place and not strong in its own right. There's a book listing them all out there but I don't have it." Boulra answered me and Shanks examined the sword closer now that we were all awake and not exhausted from a fight.

"Hey… this sword's got some funny shell in its hilt!" Shank's exclaimed and Phil took it from him to examine it closer.

"Is that a sound dial?"

"Sound Dial? Like the sky island dails?" I perked up at hearing that and quickly rummaged through my bag to find my large Dial. "Is it like this?" I showed it to Phil who shook his head.

"That's a different dial. I don't recognize it. A sound dial stores sound in it and yes it's from the sky islands. It's probably how it kept making those bell tones."

"Could you change it to a different sound?" Boulra asked curiously. "Or even silence? Like every time you hit something dead silence falls or something?"

We all looked at him and he shrugged with embarrassment. "What? It'd be cool!"

"You probably could but I don't know how. I know of dials but never actually used them before." Phil answered with an indulgent smile.

"Sky islands?" Shanks mused out loud, his eyes alight with excitement. "The crew I joined had been to one before I joined but I've never gone up there… Most people think they're just myths."

While they talked about swords, mentioning ones that they each had either seen or heard of or wanted, I went and sat on my hammock, grabbing a my recipe book and the event chest. The chest itself was probably worth a nice amount. It was made of sleek black wood with bronze edgings with wave designed carved into them. Inside I found 3 black pearls, a strange rod, and 5 silver bars. Portable loot! And pretty too! I think I'll start a collection of the really pretty gems I find.

"Since you're all here, any of you know anything about this?" I took out the strange stone rod. It was a blue grey color with one tip heavier and darker than the rest. They all looked at it and shook their heads. Ah well, it was worth a try! I'd go to the bank of Jones to get it identified and see if they'd figured out what my dial was.

I noticed they were about to break open another cask and kicked them out.

"I'm going back to sleep! You silly drunkards can take that with you and drink elsewhere!" I also needed to level up! Shanks boo-ed at me as they left, probably to go to the deck and back to their card games. Then I sat down and copied over the Gladstone rum recipe into my own recipe book before leaning back to examine my character sheet, book conveniently sitting in my hands in case someone walked in.

Stats were up first; I had two points to put in! I really wanted observational haki and since I was traveling with someone who knew of it I could perhaps unlock it… except I needed 6 points to get there! Bugger… That meant at least 4 more levels or I needed more events to occur. I'll put both in the mind just so I can get one stat where it needs to be. I could also use a stronger and faster body but ah well: one goal at a time!

For my feats I wavered between Loot Senses Tingling and Second Wind. One would let me recover in combat without a level gain but the other would lead me to treasure. Of the feats that my higher Mind stat had unlocked only one really caught my eye for right now:

 _Weather Witch: +2 Luck. You can sense the changing weather patterns and predict where that change is leading to._

That one was also tempting! But I think I wanted more loot. I had a feeling I'd be traveling with Shanks, Phil and Boulra for a while as we were all headed to Logue Town so I wouldn't be fighting all alone anymore, so I shouldn't run out of stamina as fast. Plus I needed more funds if I was to get a ship!

Loot Senses Tingling it was!

 _Loot Senses Tingling: Your ability to sniff out loot and find it is impressive: you can practically hear the gold calling you! +1 Luck_

 _-Synergy bonus: Ear of the Critic allows you to hear the voices of treasure rather than sense them._

I immediately noticed the change. Where once there'd been nothing but the creaking of the ship and the distant sounds of the crew and sea seeping through the walls, I could now hear the soft sounds of the treasure all around me. The metals all rang out brazenly while the gemstones hummed softly. That's… going to be hard to sleep through. I thought with a frown as I looked around and heard the various 'voices' of the treasure, trying to pinpoint which item matched the sound. Booze also had a sound to it, far softer and deeper but it was there. Wooden items sounded like wind through the trees and forged items clanked. I wonder if I could turn it off… It took some effort but I was able to tune them out slightly, now it whispered at the back of my mind instead of sang out.

As I looked at my sheet I realized I hadn't actually investigated that feat I'd been awarded by the event.

 _Ear of the Critic: You are adept at understanding sounds, melodies, and locating them as well as judging them. Debuffs or statuses caused by sound based attacks are easier to resist. Because of your well trained ear, off tune sounds are doubly offensive._

It was nice that I could hear the sound of treasure, but how effective would that be in a loud area? As for the off tune sounds being doubly offensive… how bad would it be? Like instead of a cringe I have to run away? That I would need to test out!

And, before I tried going to sleep, the last point to be allocated: skills. I could level up a skill but I was honestly doing rather well (if you ignored the archeology) so perhaps a new skill. I checked out the fighting styles Boulra and Phil had taught me.

 _Stone Monkey Style (martial artist path- unarmed and bo staff) Level: 1 (limit 7) Prerequisites: Simple Monkey Level 10, Body 18. Consumes 10 stamina per minute, deals 10 bludgeoning damage per strike and take 10% less damage._

 _Silent Serpent Style (Martial artist path- unarmed only. Swordsman path- blades and unarmed): Level: 1 (limit 7) Consumes 10 stamina per minute, deals 1 piercing damage._

Well, I couldn't learn Stone till my body was a lot stronger! And Silent serpent did piercing rather than bludgeoning? Interesting… Well, it's always good to have different ways of fighting and if I ever lost my staff I could use Silent Serpent with my fists and still survive.

With that finally done, I settled down to try and sleep, hoping the whispers of all the loot around me didn't keep me up.

Three days later we finally docked at Shattered heart. The island itself was interesting: shaped like a heart it had a cliff bisecting it down the center. On top of the cliff was a lush grass land with some light woodlands. Below where we docked was dry grass lands and sandy dunes. The people were likewise divided; the nobles and King of the Onchu kingdom resided on the elevated half, while the poorer, criminal elements lived in the desert half. Frankly I liked the desert part: it had a sense of rebellion about it and the whisper of the sand as it moved in the wind was rather pretty. But what really caught my eye were the symbols carved into the cliff side: I couldn't see them too well from where we were but it looked familiar somehow. There was also a sound on the wind from that direction; it sounded like the creaking of wood, but different. It took me a second to realize it was my feat giving me a sound: treasure that wasn't metal, gems, or booze lay that way. Since we had a two day lay over so the Casanova could get any of the damage completely fixed as well as restock, I might as well check it out right? Then I could go looking at ships to see what their costs were.

"Careful of getting too close to the cliff side, lass." A granny said as I headed out of the port village towards there. "Things are always falling off the cliff and ye don't want to be hit." Her pause when she said 'things' made me wonder just what was falling. People?

I thanked her for the warning and continued on, enjoying the feeling of earth beneath my feet. The housing got less and less until there was nothing but sand dunes and strange wind worn rocks all around me. I took a moment to look up at the cliff and I frowned as I realized it was in the lost language of the ancients. Worn away for the most part there were only three pictograms left behind.

…..b—ob-….

….was…..….

….…..here…

The carvings left had the strangest of messages; bob was here? So either the ancients had a sense of humor or the actual message had been worn away leaving only that remaining. Or some Oharian had carved it as a joke.

 _+20 exp for finding remnants of the Lost Century._

So I got experience for finding lost history? Or not so lost history considering other Oharians had passed by here. Maybe first time for me then? And did any words would do? Even a joke message?

"You look a little puzzled… The ancient's message confusing you, Jasmine?"

The soft voice behind me caused me to flinch and I most certainly did not squeak in surprise. If anyone says otherwise they are lying.

I whirled around, my bo staff brought up defensively. There was an old man with faded green hair leaning on a cane sitting behind me and chuckling. Wait- he'd said my name.

"Do I know you?" I asked, willing my startled heart to slow down to a more normal pace.

"Not personally no. But your old teacher Inolan sent word to me that you'd be passing by." My brewing teacher! I felt rather guilty knowing I was known by someone I hadn't met. Or had met but not in my memories as me… or.. whatever. Moving on.

"Ah... Is he doing well? And um- how exactly do you know him?"

The elder chuckled and began shuffling off. "Come along and I'll tell you over some tea. The wind is nice now but there's a cold front moving in from the north and it'll get pretty bad out here soon enough."

I didn't have anything too important to do yet so I followed; it'd be rude otherwise! He led me to a small house on the beach where a lovely small ship was moored nearby. The sound of creaking wood with that odd bell tone to it was coming from the ship.

"That's the _Lady Lark_ , the ship I sailed on for many years." He saw my appraising gaze and smiled. "Sit down, I'll be out shortly." I took one of the chairs on the porch he'd motioned to and leaned back, eyeing the ship. It was in good condition and looked to be meant for a small crew. Observation and my own eyes told me she was 64 foot schooner with fore and aft triangular sails and a medium sized keel. So not a costal shallows ship but she could get closer to shore than a true deep sea ship. Larger than a single person ship so it'd need a small crew but not so large that I needed more than 5 people.

"Thank you." I accepted the tea he brought and eyed him wondering what exactly Inolan had asked of him.

"I am Olzii Berke and I am an old friend of Inolan's. We trained under the same master on Sake Summit." Sake Summit? Now that sounded like a fun island! "I was from Ohara while he was from some island in the grand line, I forget which… He settled at my homeland while I settled here with my wife." The look in the old man's eyes told me I might just be in for a long story. And… yup. I hid a sigh and listened patiently as he waxed eloquent upon their childhood and adventures.

"But as fun as reminiscing is—" He paused and finished his tea. I'd gone through five cups already trying to stay awake. "It's not why he asked me to keep an eye out for you. You see… it's been years since I truly sailed on my lovely _Lady Lark_ and I no longer have grandchildren to help me sail it. They've all got disgusting jobs at the gambling dens." He scowled angrily at this before slumping. "My _Lady_ was built in the Grandline and meant for it. This sea is far too passive for her and I'd like her to sail on more adventures rather than rot in this bay with me."

Listening to his story had been worth it! It was exactly what I was looking for! Now I just had to hope I had enough beri for her…

"If you take her, she'll sail you safely to where the archeologists are so you can join your fellows and they'll have a good ship to escape on should the government try and stop them."

"Um… I'm not going to be an archeologist." I interrupted, my tone confused. Why did he assume I was going to be an archeologist? Sure I could read the words but it wasn't my dream.. or not the main one at least. "I'm heading to grand line to try and see the world a bit, earn enough cash to build my floating tavern, and collect enough brewing recipes so when I open my floating tavern I can serve drinks from all over the world."

"Oh come now lass… every Oharian wants to dig up old research and show it off to the world! To find what secrets the government is hiding." Methinks he is trying to get me in trouble…

"Not really no. I've got a different dream. Not all who live on Ohara are archeologists. You yourself said you trained on Sake Summit with Inolan so you must be a brewer."

"Well yes. But I also dig on the side." He winked cheekily at me. "Well… if you are going to be traveling elsewhere perhaps you'll find something of interest that the government doesn't want found anyways." He is trying to get me in trouble! "I'll still extend the offer though, as a favor to Inolan."

"You haven't actually stated what the offer is… Other than it involves your lovely _Lark_." I pointed out.

"I haven't? Hmmm thought I had… I'll sell her to you at half price, since you've got an interesting dream. And she needs a good Captain, which Inolan's stories make me feel you'll be worthy of her." He chuckled and grinned. "45 million beri. She's built for the Grand line out of Elder wood. It's nowhere near as good as Adams wood but it's still strong. Coral woodwax coating that'll keep her sea tight for years to come and fire resistant too. The sails will eventually need replacing as the seledon cloth is wearing out. There's also;" his eyes twinkled here; "a brewery on board. Tis simple enough and you'll want to improve upon it but it'll get you started."

I want. I want it badly.

"I've got about 40 million on hand right now… Might need to go grab another bounty though… how long is the offer up?" And this was half price? Dear lord! But was it actually half price? I took a moment to think on it and decided I would need help. Boulra seemed very informed about ships and costs of things while I was more the type to know how to sail a ship; best I go get a second opinion before I bought something I would regret later down the line. A ship was not something to suddenly buy without looking it over or getting an experts opinion.

"Hmm well to get a bounty you'll need a ship as it is… so I'll take the 40 now and 5 in say… two weeks time? We can deal through the Oceanic bank that way you can wire the money as soon as you get it."

"May I go get my friends," they were friends right? I liked em at least; "and bring them to see it? They happen to know ships better than me." I think he was being honest but this was really out of left field and maybe he was a con artist.

"Of course, of course"

"Thank you very much." I said as I got up and bowed. Ship! I was going to have a ship! A cute lovely lil ship!

Now time to find Boulra! All thoughts of the strange-not-really-a-message on the cliff were forgotten as I hightailed it back to town and went looking for Boulra.

I found him alone in the market, talking softly to some shady looking character that left as I approached.

"Ship!" I gasped out, a bit winded from my run.

"Ship?" He gave me a confused look.

"I got a ship! Or will after I get an additional 5 million! I need you to look her over though and tell me what you think."

He looked over at the docks behind him. "I didn't see any small ships in town that would fit your idea of a small ship Jasmine."

"Wasn't in town. Was an older guy that knew my brewing teacher." I finally caught my breath back and grinned. "I need to find the Bank of Jones first and get them to transfer 13 million to my ocean account."

"Let me see the ship first. You seem like someone easy to con."

"Am not!"

"Did you walk the ship at all?"

"No... I wanted to see what you thought of it since you know ship costs better'n me." I grumbled with a pout.

"Well at least you have some sense. Did you ask what the ship was made of and where it was built?"

"Berke said it was made of Elderwood with a coral woodwax coating." I stuck my tongue out at Boulra who rolled his eyes.

"Do you know what that even means?"

"… No?"

"My point exactly. If he's telling the truth then it'll be a good ship. Coral woodwax is a good coating though you have to be careful since it attracts barnacles more than usual. Elderwood's also a good choice. It'll be a bit pricey though. How much?"

"He said half off at 45 million."

Boulra stopped and looked at me in shock. "And you have 40 mill already?"

"Yeah. Bounties stack up really quickly."

"Well... if what he said is true then you are getting a deal. What's the size of the ship?"

"64 foot schooner with fore and aft sails. Triangular sails. It's got a jib, stay sail, fisherman, fore sail, gaff top sail and main sail. No square sails at all though it looks like I can add one on the main mast. Keels moderately deep; so no shallows at all but it can sail the deep sea safely." Here I was a bit more confident since I knew my ship sails from my sailor profession skill.

"Hmmm if it's that big then it's a really good price."

We walked in silence till the ship where Berke waved from his porch and got up to meet us.

"Here to make sure I'm not scamming Jasmine?" He asked with a laugh. Boulra simply nodded.

"Mind if we walk the ship?"

"I'll show you about." Berke agreed and hobbled off. I scampered after them eagerly. I liked the _Lark_ , it had a cute beautifully carved 4 foot tall lark as its figurehead where the bowsprit connected with the ship. It even held a sprig of jasmine flowers in one claw!

The ship had a flat main deck with the aft part holding a stern castle where the kitchen, commons room, and captains quarters were. The captains quarters was made of two rooms; one that held a table and I could turn it into a map room or common room for people to relax in and my held some simple worn furniture right now; I would have to go shopping and replace most of it with things I liked.

Below was where the storage, engine room, brewery, and crews quarters were. Beneath the lower deck was the bilge; it held nothing in it but could conceivable be used to store things you wanted to hide or didn't mind getting wet. The entire back third was filled with machines and the like to fuel the simple paddle that could be used to move the ship if there wasn't a favorable wind, boil water for the bath and kitchen, purify water for drinking use, and power the simplistic brewery. The right side of the ship was filled with chests, shelves, and hammocks for eight people while the left was filled with empty storage containers. The very small room at the bow was a tiny room I decided to turn into a medical bay where sick or wounded people could sleep in safety. The brewery was in a room between the small stall for the toilet and separate room with a small bath in it and engine room.

As Berke gave me the rundown of the ship and was mentioning I'd need to purchase coal or a similar fuel to power the engines Boulra was wandering about humming to himself, checking out the hull, the mast, and the shelving that was in place and eyeing the machinery.

I went and checked out the brewery; he hadn't been lying when he said it was basic; it was missing quite a few things that Inolan's note mentioned I should have but didn't need right now. But it held enough space and empty barrels that I could conceivably brew down here. It was cramped in the way all ships are, but it held enough space I wasn't feeling claustrophobic.

"You could add in a few more hammocks if you really need to. Bring it up to twenty instead of eight." Boulra said and I shook my head.

"I think that would be very tight and uncomfortable if I don't need to hire that many crewI'd rather have more space for the crew to relax in frankly. Unless I need more than eight?"

"You can sail it just fine with two people. One on the sails, one on the steering but it'll be difficult on the grandline. I'd recommend you have at least 4 people before you enter there. We actually had a crew of twenty two! But then we had enough to man the ship day and night." Berke answered for Boulra, his voice fond as he recalled his sailing days. "The bow is reinforced with steel to balance out the weight as well as to help with ramming. For some reason the captain also turned it into a treasure storage area." He pulled himself out of his memories to tell Boulra as he investigated the room I'd decided to turn into a medbay.

"Well?" I asked Boulra impatiently as Berke headed back up the ladders.

"It's a good deal at 45 million. It's not half off though: I'd price it more at 65 million then the 90 he's claiming. I'll pay the last 5 million since I did get that bounty." He answered before heading up as well. "I'll take you to the banks to get everything set up. Berke, you got an account number or are we meeting you in person?"

"In person so I can get it legally handed over. It's best if us Oharians don't act too suspiciously. The government dislikes us as is." Berke climbed up as Boulra looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"The archeologists from Ohara are allowed to study the lost century and the forbidden language but the government apparently doesn't like it. You sure you want to help my pay this off? I can always go bounty hunting…" I asked curiously.

"Eh. I'll help pay. You need a crew right?"

"I do! Are you offering?"

"If I let you out alone into the ocean you'll get scammed and be left marooned on some island in the middle of nowhere."

"Would not!"

"Besides," He continued on as if I hadn't said anything. "Phil said you should sail with people you can trust. The seas are tricky enough without watching your back or worrying about your stuff. I know you wouldn't stab me in the back."

"Ah… thanks?" I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or him telling me I was too naive.

Later that day I was the proud owner of Lady Lark and 40 million poorer. Boulra had also managed to convince me to pull out 200,000 beri from my Jones bank to help pay for the refurbishing. What followed was an interesting shopping trip: I thought girls were supposed to be masters of shopping but Boulra could put any woman to shame. He could haggle with the best of them and knew how to string along the salesperson.

"Quartermaster." I said as we left yet another furniture shop with more furniture I thought possible to purchase that cheap.

"Hmm?"

"That's what your position shall be. You'll be in charge of the treasure and purchasing of all things until we get a chef then they can buy food stuffs." I handed off the now thinner purse with the money I'd pulled out and grinned at his surprised expression. "I'm good at singing, sailing, and fighting. I know next to nothing about appraising, haggling, or finding things. Since you are now crew you can handle the money."

His checks got slightly flushed and he rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "This is what I mean about easy to con and trustworthy."

"Then you'll just have to keep me from being conned!" I laughed and we headed off to finish gathering food and then find Phil and Shanks.

"Alright. We got your purchase for way too expensive carpets from some lady in Kellbar, placed an order for paintings of all things, furniture to replace the used stuff, sold the old furniture, supplies to last two weeks, turned in your portable treasure for cash at the bank, got our stuff transferred from the _Casanova_ to the _Lady Lark_ … anything else we need to do?" Boulra was a bit irritated by the purchases I'd made over a denden mushi in Kellbar. I wanted those beautiful carpets and paintings I'd seen in the tavern!

"I think that's it. Now to find Phil and Shanks."

"They'll be at the Wench's Rest once Phil finishes his duel."

"Duel?"

"Some kid with really piercing eyes challenged him. Shanks wanted to fight him but that Mihawk guy only had eyes for Phil."

"Some brawler out to prove himself?"

"Nah, some hot shot swordsman who's been going around the blue seas challenging anyone with a bounty or rumors of being strong."

"Ahhhh… think he has a chance?"

"Against Phil? I dunno. Phil doesn't go for the kill and this guy looks like he fights with everything he has so Phil's kindness might cost him the fight. But Phil's strong so I think he'll win."

As we walked I noticed the area getting seedier and seedier and the people more suspicious looking.

"This isn't some nice clean bar we're meeting at is it?" I asked with a sigh.

"Nah. But you'll be fine. You can fight off the thugs here just fine."

"Well obviously, but I doubt Phil will accept that as an excuse to why I'm not taking it easy."

When we got to the tavern I watched as someone got thrown through the window and heard the raucous laughter coming from within. "This is going to be filthy isn't it? They couldn't have picked some place that got cleaned once in a blue moon?"

Boulra just laughed at my disgusted tone and stepped over the unconscious body and headed in. I followed muttering under my breath. I noticed the eyes on us were hostile once I entered and mutters started up. That didn't sound good; and why'd it pop up? I wasn't that threatening looking right? So I ignored it though and followed Boulra over to where Shanks and Phil where lounging in a corner.

"We do happen to have alcohol back on the ship. Couldn't we drink that stuff instead?" I asked Phil as we approached, eyeing the bandages on him and the other occupant of the table. Huh… Boulra was right, he does have piercing eyes! Vivid gold with a black band around the pupil made him look like he could stare a hole through a wall.

"What's someone like you hanging around a bounty hunter?" The teenager spoke up in a surprisingly soft voice. Deep but soft. He ignored me to address Shanks and Phil who both twitched guiltily. Wait… what?

"Jasmine's not really a bounty hunter." Shanks tried to say with a nervous grin. I scowled and folded my arms.

"Is there something wrong with me hanging around them? Even if I was a full time bounty hunter it's not like they have bounties. Shanks is far too young." I guess I was a part time bounty hunter? I mean, I didn't go looking for them! So far the bounties had come to me!

"Pfft…" I looked over to see Boulra looking away and trying to smother his laughter. Phil did not succeed at all. Shanks merely looked offended.

Those vivid eyes turned back to me then flickered over to the laughing Boulra. "I take it you do not even know who you are with?"

"Doesn't matter. They're good people and I don't go hunting people for bounties." I admit to being curious though. Phil tossed me a thick folder containing a bunch of papers inside. I scanned through it; they were all bounties.

"Here lass." He said with a large grin, his chuckles finally under control. "She's not a true bounty hunter. More like an adventurer who does some hunting on the side." I noticed the hostility lessened slightly and the eyes that had been glaring from around the room stopped. I guess they didn't like bounty hunters and thought I was one? But how would they have known?

"More like I get attacked by people with bounties so I turn them in." I corrected as I found two bounties with familiar faces on them. "Oh hey look Boulra… Shanks' got a lame name. 'Red haired Shanks!'" I snickered at it and noticed he had 10.3 million bounty. If he wasn't a friend I'd be tempted! Wonder how it got that high? Phil's on the other hand was some serious cash.

"Holy shit. 69 million for Staff Master Phil? Wow… I'm impressed!" I put them back and tried to give back the bounties but Phil waved it off.

"My epitaph is not lame!" Shanks scowled at me and Boulra answered for both of us as I sat down next to Phil.

"It's like they just took the first thing they saw and labeled you with that. Could be worse… could be Straw Hat Shanks. Phil's is much more impressive."

"Only reason I got that is cause I punched out a noble a few years back. Otherwise I managed to make it so they couldn't tack any crimes onto me. I almost got through the first part of the Grandline without a bounty. Pity." Phil sighed and fluffed my hair again. I felt like he saw me as a pet or something small and fluffy…

"You were trying to make it through without a bounty?" I asked him curiously, trying to ignore the piercing eyes that would not stop staring. Did the guy never blink?

"Mhmm. I wanted to see if they could catch me in action. I think they have an idea I was responsible for certain things but they don't know for sure. It'd be higher otherwise."

"So you're the kid that challenged Phil?" I finally turned to address the eyes- I mean person.

"Indeed. I am still lacking in experience and strength."

"I've been through Grandline and lived… you ought to head that way as well lad. You've out grown most of the Blue seas as is." Phil chimed in.

Boulra chuckled as he found what he was looking for and tossed me another bounty. "Dracule 'Hawkeyes' Mihawk. Why can't you have something that cool Shanks?"

"I like my red hair!" The bounty was double Shanks', which probably explained the pouty face that wouldn't go away.

"I take it he lost?" I asked Phil since addressing Mihawk was like talking to a sword.

"I had to get serious though. Kid doesn't know how to hold back! In a few years he'll outstrip me by a long shot." Phil sounded rather eager at that.

"Apparently you've also fought Phil. Any good?" Mihawk asked, he appeared to have a one track mind: fights.

"She's decent. Though no fighting till her back and thigh are healed!" He growled at me.

"I've been good!" I grinned cheekily. "Guess what I did today!"

"Misbehaved and climbed the cliff?" Shanks teased as he finished off his sake and called for some more. This den of filth apparently didn't care about his youth and served anyone who could pay; I guess that was the way of pirates? The _Casanova_ captain was probably a man who thought teenagers shouldn't be drinking... of which I was beginning to agree as Shanks appeared to be addicted.

"Fun idea but no. I bought a nice ship. It's cute."

"Ship's aren't cute." Boulra rolled his eyes. "But the _Lady Lark_ is a good ship."

"Oh?" Shank's eyes lit up. "What's it like?"

"You all can come and check it out later. Boulra got it refurbished and stuff."

"Isn't it your ship?" Mihawk asked dryly.

"Eh. Boulra is master at haggling. I'd be broke if he wasn't so good at shopping." I noticed Phil and Shanks exchanging a look. "What are you two plotting?"

"We heard an interesting story." Phil began before Shank's could. "A graveyard of ships off the Red line, where part of the mountain chain recedes into the ocean. Ships usually try to avoid it but there's a current that will drag you straight to it. Or storms blow you towards it. Dangerous place to sail with hidden rocks and treacherous current and now something strange has been happening."

"They say singing's been heard, fishing boats further out say they hear snippets of it on the wind, and it only happens when a ship goes missing." Shanks leaned in and grinned conspiratorially, "One of those missing ships had a fishfolk on it. He says he heard the voice and knew it to be a siren. He dove off board and swam away. Said he wasn't messing with a siren that's made it all the way out here."

"He said that while humans may have forgotten about sirens, his people haven't. They live in the deeper parts of the oceans and usually don't come to the surface. Apparently they're extremely dangerous and the legends are pretty accurate on their voices and eating habits." Phil took the story telling back. "He also said they have a tendency to hoard treasure to decorate their nests. And sirens that are eating a lot tend to be in heat so they go after ships with more treasure on it to decorate themselves and their nests with to attract a mate."

I exchanged a look with Boulra. "So treasure, potential legendary monster, a song that might just be the legendary siren's said to be so beautiful it can control you, and adventure? Sounds like something I want to go see!"

"How true is the story you think? Fishman telling the truth or pulling a human's leg?" Boulra asked, practical as ever.

"I had a feeling he's not lying. He was strong but looked spooked and really did not want to talk about it." Phil responded. "He was here on vacation apparently and on his way back to the Grandline and home. I think if a fishfolk says a siren exists and is there, it's a siren."

"It's three days southeast of here, right along the red line. We weren't going to go… but you say you have a ship… we can make it there and still make it to Logue town in time." Shanks piped up. "Can we Jasmine? Please?" Shanks could pull off innocent puppy dog eyes really well.

"Obviously! I told you I wanted adventure that involved lost treasure, mythical creatures and exotic locations! And if this siren's dangerous then it'll be safer to go with others."

"You're forgetting the hot men part." Boulra said with a smirk. "Or is that already met by us?"

"May I join?" We looked over and saw Mihawk looked interested. "Fishfolk are said to be vastly stronger than a normal human… if it would rather run away than fight a siren I bet it's dangerous. And I never turn away from a good fight."

"We've got enough supplies for an extra person." Boulra told me. "I just need to go purchase a good camera now. Can I borrow some more funds Jasmine? The one I want is a bit on the … pricy side."

"Sure." I handed him what was left of the money I had on me and he left with a grin. "And I don't have a problem with you joining." I answered Mihawk; I guess I was the Captain of the ship now so I got the final say? That would take some getting used to.

"Camera?" Shanks looked confused.

"For evidence obviously! No one's going to believe us if we don't take pictures! We set out tomorrow afternoon?" I looked at them and they nodded in agreement. "Cool. Also, we moved all of our stuff to the ship already! _Lark's_ at dock 6 right now. Boulra's already claimed a hammock but there's plenty of space."

Let's see: adventure, mythical beasts to see, treasure to find, and attractive men to sail my ship? Looks like I got my wish!

* * *

[[Jasmine Bio 1]]

[[Boulra Bio 2]]

 **AN: Shank's and Mihawk are not staying with her for her entire journey, just for a lil bit. It's just for this adventure. Boulra's the only person officially joining her crew from this group. As such I have put up his basic character sheet! Jasmine does not yet know of it but I thought you might like to see :3**


	10. Chapter 10: The Ship's Graveyard

**Chapter 10: Venturing into the Ship's Graveyard**

The cold front Berke had mentioned hadn't quite hit yet, though the dark clouds on the horizon showed it was rolling in fast. After a quick discussion we ended up leaving early that morning instead of waiting till the afternoon so we could escape before the actual storm hit and kept us in the bay.

Having my own ship and actually sailing it was vastly different than I expected. Sure I knew how to be a sailor and the various duties that needed to be performed, but before I'd always followed another's orders and direction. And my fellow sailors? Well- at least Shanks knew how to run the riggings and basic navigation. The first day out was a rough one: not only were we dealing with a storm front following behind us, I had inexperienced sailors and was inexperienced myself in dealing with storms or directing people. Phil was no help at all despite having gone through half of the Grandline. He had been with a large crew; large enough he didn't deal with running or sailing a ship and instead helped the doctor, kept watch, or fought. He was on watch duty today as I taught Mihawk and Boulra about the riggings and showed them the different ropes, what certain orders meant, which ropes to use to help climb, how to tie certain knots, and how to swing the large triangular sails about to catch the wind. Shanks was on the wheel since he and I were the only ones who knew how to navigate and I felt Mihawk and Boulra would take directions better from me as I was older than them. Shanks was having fun pretending to be captain and doing a fine job of it… I could see a gleam in his eyes as he stood at the wheel. Considering how well he was at calling out orders and keeping the ship in line he'd make a good captain one day. I was mentally writing down when he would call out orders and what caused him to do so.

At least we were sailing away from the storm instead of into it; if it had been coming up from the south I would have waited in the dock till it passed; no way was I going to try sailing into a storm with so few experienced hands! At night we finally weighed anchor and I heard much complaining from Phil about his old bones.

"So what exactly are our plans for the Ship's Graveyard?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair and looked around the table.

"Currents are probably going to be tricky in that area." Phil started off. "I would suggest we go in slowly and on a day where there isn't a storm nearby." His tone was wry; he had not enjoyed being in the crow's nest when the storm front had almost caught up to us before moving off westwards. "As for what we might find… Shallow areas, wrecked ships, rocks hidden beneath the waves, and hopefully a siren!"

"How much treasure is lying lost on the ocean floor in that area?" Boulra mused out loud. "We could try diving for some of it if the waters are safe enough and not too deep."

"We're going to go all the way in! Find that siren and take pictures! I wonder if they can be talked to at all..." Shanks mused out loud.

"I doubt fishfolk would flee if a siren was benign. It will come to a fight. Question is if it will fight like a sea monster or a person." Mihawk had been the easiest to deal with today; his sharp eyes watched everything and he only had to be told something once. I had expected some difficulty from him but he'd taken this trip as a learning trip and done his best to learn everything I knew on how to sail.

"You don't know that! She could be friendly! Potentially at least…" Shanks sulked slightly at the automatic assumption that the siren would be evil. I got the feeling Shanks liked to make friends with everything; a nice habit but a bit naive.

"Every legend has a grain of truth in it." Phil warned Shanks. "And Mihawk has a good point: how will it fight?"

"Probably with its voice to first do whatever it is siren voices do- then flip the boat over and drag us off one by one." I gave my opinion and grinned. "I can fight rather well in the water… what about the rest of you?"

"My blade can cut through water just as well as air." Mihawk's voice was very confident and I could see Shanks want to say something but swallow it when Phil elbowed him.

"Fast enough to hit something that doesn't feel the weight of the ocean and moves as fast inside and out of it?" I asked curiously.

"Of course." Hmmm… was this his pride speaking or truth? I shrugged; we'd find out one way or another. I wouldn't doubt too much since I haven't seen him in action yet and he did have a bounty over 20 million right now. They should all be glad I'm not greedy otherwise I'd turn the three of them in and be filthy rich, I mused to myself as I headed outside to stand watch for a few hours while the others pulled out some cards for a few hands before they headed off to sleep.

The Redline loomed in the distance all the second day; it grew from a dark shadow along the horizon to sharp spires stretching as far as the eye could see north and southwards. The jagged spines looked like a long sea king was curled about the world, their craggy slopes covered in inhospitable barren stones with small patches of bright green breaking up the monotonous grey brown. In places you could see oddly colorful bands of rocks exposed for several miles before they twisted and darkened back into the same grey brown as the rest of the mountains. The sounds of sea birds were loud and plentiful, while men did not dwell upon the sharp cliff sides and jagged slopes of the Red line, animals apparently did. I was tempted to climb those mountains, see the world from the top of the spines, see above the clouds. Perhaps it would be an adventure for another time, after I'd journeyed the Grandline.

 _ **Optional Quest: Conquer the Redline**_

 _Climb the tallest peak of the Redline_

 _+1000 XP upon reaching the tallest peak_

A task for another day indeed.

Today was our third day out and the storm had drifted closer to us once more.

"Keep an eye out for those currents the sailors warned us about." I called out from my perch on the main mast to Mihawk who was perched on the bow. The day was overcast; dark clouds piling up against the mountains. We were close enough that we were sailing into the downdrafts coming off them but far enough that the sea wasn't too stormy. Our target was the small collection of broken islands right next to the Redline, looking puny in comparison. The towering heights were even more impressive up close, especially considering we couldn't even see the peaks because of the clouds! "We'll lay anchor outside so the _Lark_ doesn't get smashed into the rocks and take a longboat in." I looked at the clouds, they didn't look too threatening but the ocean was fickle.

A worrying few hours later sailing over the choppy waves we finally reached the first of the islets. The crash of the waves upon the cliff faces looming above us was loud and mixed with the susurrations of the wind. Would the siren even show herself to us this day? With the wind and waves acting up and so soon after she'd claimed a ship already if the rumors were true?

I closed my eyes and listened to the wind and waves before tuning my ears to a different sound; that of the sounds of treasure humming beneath us. The chiming of silver and humming of gemstones whispered in my ears, telling me treasure did indeed lie beneath the waves. Some sounds were broken, cut off, twisted. Were they the sounds of treasure that had become too broken or rusted or were rotting away or simply too far away? I wondered what it might repersent as I felt Boulra approach.

"What are you listening too?" Boulra asked curiously. I smiled but kept my eyes closed and focused on the sounds, trying to focus on a strange tone that was slightly different.

"The wind." It was something else, some sound I hadn't heard before, a faintly ominous hum in the distance coming from deeper in the islets. Almost the same metallic sound as Gōrudenkorāru, the meito sword I had in my cabin, but it was different, harsher, oily almost which was odd. Was there a named blade somewhere in this area?

Boulra rolled his eyes at my words. "Everyone's finished preparing if you're done communing with nature."

I turned around to see all of them in swim trunks; their colors bright and happy against the grey day. Phil even had a picnic basket!

"Umm…I take it you are all very excited despite the clouds overhead?" I was wearing simple clothing, a tank top and shorts that I wouldn't mind getting soaked in while diving. Apparently they had all decided it today's adventure deserved beach wear. Phil was wearing dark grey and blue striped trunks while Shanks was wearing trunks with bright red and orange hibiscus flowers on it. Boulra's trunks were a plain green. Mihawk's were black with crimson racing stripes and a single large stylized red rose on one side. Despite their lack of actual clothing, they all had a weapon attached with a belt. Boulra had his camera hanging from his neck and had left his blade behind in favor for a brace of pistols. I had to admit they made a very attractive meat wall: less scars and tattoos than you'd think pirates would have! This sailing business came with some lovely pecks… I mean perks!

"But of course! We're diving for treasure and sirens today!" Phil laughed and Shanks shook his head and tut-tutted at me.

"Really Jasmine. You're attire is just too serious for a fun day like today!" The wind blew at that moment and I could almost smell rain. "Swim suits or nothing! Easier to swim without clothes dragging you down."

Mihawk looked vaguely amused by it all, he had already moved and was standing in the longboat ready to be lowered. Despite his air of being above everything except fights, he was apparently being corrupted by Shanks.

"Well... alright. I'll go get changed." I chuckled and shook my head as I went to go change my clothes again. I wasn't going to be fighting any siren in just a bikini though! I doubled up on the bikini tops, blue polka dots under solid black to ensure enough support and then I went and raided the boys cabin for some trunks to go over the bikini bottom. There was one with simple blue and grey swirls sitting out in the open so that's the one I picked. I slung a belt across my shoulders with a loop for my staff, a dagger, and some empty pouches attached.

"Isn't that Boulra's?" Mihawk noticed as I came out, his epitaph was well earned.

"I refuse to fight in what's basically underwear. I need something like pants on." I defended my choice as I joined them in the longboat and Phil and Shanks began rowing us out.

"I don't mind if she's in my pants." Boulra quipped from where he was perched before yelping when my foot smacked his shin.

"Hush you!"

I kept my eyes peeled for rocks and ships beneath us. Despite the cloudy skies, the waters were clear and I could clearly see the wrecks below us rotting away. The entire area had tall stone spires that forced ships to take different path ways, wind and wave carved into sharp twisted shapes. The waters were choppy but manageable; our pathway avoided the larger areas that the Lark would have gone through and I spotted several whirlpools and sharp rocks hidden beneath the waves that would have sunk a ship with a deeper hull. Eventually I could hear the sound of treasure beneath us clearly, and not some small time amount either! We were about halfway to the next islet at this point in time and in a relatively quiet patch. Below us was a large ship that was less rotten than the rest, tattered sails gently shifting in the ocean currents looking almost like it could be sailing below the waves.

"I'm going to investigate that wreck." I told them and pulled on my googles before reaching for one of the sacks we'd brought with us to carry stolen goods. Phil and Shanks nodded and pulled the longboat near a spire and tied it off.

"We'll moor here for a bit then and go diving. I'll keep watch for now if you lot want to all go diving." Phil said.

"Sounds good to me!" Shanks dove off the side, almost capsizing the rest of us. Phil and Boulra cussed him out as I used his momentum to roll over the side with a laugh.

I straightened out and swam quickly towards the wreck. The sound of the waves became muffled and the treasure more vivid, ringing against the steady heartbeat of the waves beating upon the nearby islands. The wreck was an old triple mast Clipper. The large holes in the underside told of how it'd been sunk by the deadly rocks in the area. I couldn't see the glint of treasure at all, but that was fine; its song lead me further in. I could see Boulra and Shanks off to one side: Boulra had his camera out and was taking pictures while Shanks was posing. Small shoals of fish fled as I approached, quick flashes of bright color against the dark water. The sounds of treasure shifted as I swam, the chiming of what I think was silver, or a metal of some sort, separated into many different softer sounds all off to the side. The hum of what I think was gemstones stayed in one spot; within the ship while the metallic treasure appeared to be outside it. Because the hum came from one spot, I focused on that first.

The walls within the ship remained, though large gouges and rounded dents marred the wood. They looked almost like something long and snake like had fought within the corridors. As I swam about I noticed something odd; a lack of bodies. At first I didn't make too much notice but then I began searching for them. This was a large ship; there would have been dozens of sailors! Where were they all? The common room was filled with broken dishware, tables split in two and piece of benches everywhere but there were no bodies. All I found that indicated people had been here were the marks of weapons upon the walls and a single torn hat. So either everyone had escaped or something had eaten every last one of them including the bones. Not a happy thought!

It was eerie swimming through the sunken ship. Without the chiming of the treasure it would have been utterly silent with only the distant beat of the waves. The halls were dark with only some dim muted light filtering in from cracks in the ship's sides. Add in the lack of bodies and I couldn't help but feel that the monster was still here… silently slipping behind my, hunting its newest prey…

The feeling got worse the further in I swam. The lower deck was the same; busted doors, half broken chests lying open and empty, and no bodies. The only bones I found in the entire ship were a few small ones down in the brig next to a large gaping hole that had quite a few scratch marks on all sides. It looked almost like something had broken through and dragged people out through here.

I used the hole to escape and return to the surface for some fresh air before diving back to return to finding treasure. We'd have to check the nearby islets to see if the sailors had gone there to survive until help came if they'd made it out alive at all.

I saw that Boulra and Shanks were heading back up with a small bag from which some of the metallic chiming I'd been hearing was coming from. They'd gone outside the ship to raid apparently. Mihawk I saw nothing of but I figured he'd be fine. If anything he'd probably go find some octopus or shark to fight.

This time I focused on reaching the humming sounds rather than get distracted looking for bodies. It was behind the one door that wasn't broken open; perhaps because it was metallic and the attacker couldn't be bothered to open it? The metal was weakened by the constant exposure to water. It hadn't been here long enough to truly rust but it was still weak enough I could break it open even without my staff. A few tugs here and there then some heavy kicks and the door gave way. Have I mentioned how much I love my water affinity? I would've had to get one of the boys in here to help me otherwise! Inside was a small room that was not untouched. The small port window was broken and small fish and sea plants had taken over. As I entered several fish fled out the tiny port hole. Here I found my first whole body; a rotting corpse lying slouched over against the wall with a gun lying in its hand. The person it'd belonged to was small, maybe five feet tall, and missing part of their left leg. It was obvious how he had died; his head was half blown up, he'd killed himself rather than drown or be eaten. I offered up a quick prayer for his soul before turning to the rest of the room.

This room was small and mostly undisturbed. In one corner was a hammock that gently floated in the water, the rest of the room was taken up with a large desk with several chests beneath it. On the desk lay several tools and a large broken magnifying glass on a stand. Small files and chisels lay in disarray next to it. A single rack of 7 vials lay on its side as well; five of the vials were broken but two remained. From these came an interesting sound; it wasn't the deep thrum of booze but a lighter whisper. What were they to cause Loot senses to go off? I pocketed those and knelt to open up the small chests beneath the desk to investigate the humming that I thought to mean gems.

My eyes widened as I saw what lay inside them; large uncut gemstones! Most were the size of my palm while some were the size of my hand! I quickly filled my sack, stopping to stare in awe at the beauty of some of them. There were four different types, one of which I was unsure of. The others were jade, amber, and amethyst. Most of what I found was the different one; dark burnt umber fading to a lighter orange at the base where it connected to some white crystalline rock.

I swam back to the surface, spotting the three boys all in the rocks at the end of the ship acting excited about something.

"Found anything interesting?" Phil asked as I swam over.

"Yup!" I handed him the heavy sack. "That's pretty much the only thing good from inside the ship. Also, there's a lack of dead bodies. So if there is a siren in these waters she's well fed… or the sailors escaped."

"From your tone I take it you think they didn't?"

"Signs of fighting all over the place but no bodies? I don't think many got away." I hauled myself back into the long boat. "The lack of survivors leaving this place to tell stories of sirens makes me think that most have not escaped since she came here." I dried myself off a bit and watched Phil hum happily as he looked over my stones. "The boys find anything?"

"Scattered silver and some stone carvings on the sea floor. Mihawk spotted something interesting though so the other two followed him. I think the siren is a recent visitor to these parts. When I left my home years ago this area was dangerous but people died due to storms and currents and sharks, not sirens."

I leaned back and thought on his words before remembering the vials.

"Know what these are? I found them in the same area as the gems; a small locked room with a metal door." Phil looked over and shook his head.

"Could be stale water for all I know!"

The others surfaced at this time with wide grins on their faces.

"The siren took that ship out!" Shanks gleefully hollered as he swam closer. "There was a second large hole on one side where she must have impacted or something cause there was an impression of a long scaly body to one side and these huge claw marks! Also scales!"

"Was it mermaid like or sea serpent like?" I asked as I took offered Boulra a hand up into the boat.

"Sea serpent like." Boulra had an amused smirk on his face. "If it was the siren she's got a long serpent like tail rather than fish like a mermaid. Could have been just a large sea serpent though, not a siren."

"Either way, it was large." Mihawk and Shanks caused the boat to almost sink as they both heaved themselves up at the same time. "We might find more traces further in." It looked like we were done in this location, the sign of the sea serpent or siren made me want to find it first before it ambushed us.

"It _is_ a siren." Shanks muttered balefully as Phil and I took the oars and began rowing us towards the next islet.

As Boulra tried to reason with Shanks I kept an eye on where we were approaching. It was oddly shaped; one side jagged and a low incline while the other cut off quickly into a cliff with odd protrusions. I frowned before tilting my head to the side to try and make sense of what I was seeing. Then I nudged Mihawk with my foot.

"Mihawk, when you look at that island… does the cliff side look like it has buildings on it?"

"… It looks like buildings but they appear to be on their sides." He said after a short while, eerie eyes staring without blinking.

"So like the entire islet has been tilted on its side?"

"Indeed." Odd. What could have caused an island to become tilted? Unless… I looked around. Strange stone spires everywhere, broken islets with wild currents all over the place, and buildings on their side.

"Think that maybe these were all one island that broke apart?" I mused out loud. "Though what exactly caused the land so close to the mountains to break and tilt like that?"

"Perhaps it fell from the Red Line?" Mihawk responded. I nodded, that made sense. Phil rowed us right beneath one of the sideways buildings. Shanks and Boulra's eyes were almost glowing; they apparently thought that scaling sideways buildings over an ocean sounded like a nice adventure. I would have agreed… if it hadn't looked half destroyed and about to fall off with the next breeze.

In the end it took me and Phil letting Shanks, the smallest, climb up and jump off our shoulders to get someone inside the hole before he tossed a rope and braced for the next lightest, Boulra, to climb up before Mihawk and myself could get in. Phil again elected to stay in the boat. Inside was covered in moss and worn by the wind and waves; not much was left other than some crumbled rotten wood and dirt in the corners.

"Now all we need is some mist and ominous music and this would make the perfect spooky scene!" Shanks whispered excitedly as he snuck to the sideways archway and peeked beyond before crouching to step through.

"First a beach party in the rain and hunting sirens and now you want haunted buildings? Swimming through an empty ship knowing some monster killed the crew wasn't spooky enough for you?" I whispered back as I had to bend almost in half to make it through the wide but narrow opening. "If we return to find Phil gone with nothing but some blood left behind I am blaming you."

"I wasn't going for that sort of spooky… but this does seem like a good place for a murder mystery." Shanks threw a grin over his shoulder as he scrambled up the wall through a window.

I shook my head and looked over to see Boulra and Mihawk peeking through some ruined archways and windows before moving to follow us.

"I'd rather this be an ancient ruin filled with forgotten treasure and knowledge. Besides it's too empty with too few blood stains for it to be a murder site." Boulra remarked as I followed Shanks out the window and noticed he was climbing upwards towards one of the more complete buildings. I noticed that the ceiling- what used to be a wall- had some worn markings in it. It might have once been carvings but nothing was left behind now except vague indents.

We had to make some very sketchy jumps from one wall to another over open air or other ruined buildings, my landing almost made the wall collapse one time and Shanks had to quickly haul me further up as the stones crumbled and fell, dull thuds and eventually a splash telling me their fate. After that, we all jumped at different locations to try and keep from collapsing more walls. Every window and door was investigated but the same scene appeared before us: empty stone rooms with wind and water worn carved decorations. Eventually we made our way to the largest of the surviving buildings; this one was in much the same condition though the wall-now-ceiling had apparently been better protected or the materials used better at surviving.

"Wonder who used to the live here." Shanks said as he scampered up a surviving pillar to get a better look at the top of the wall-once-ceiling. I saw the painted remnants of strange animals stalking about a stylized scene of woods and mountains. Where Shanks was standing was a carved city with tall strange buildings unlike any I'd ever seen before. The mountains drew my eyes; I'd never heard of an island large enough to have several of them… most of the time is was just hills or a single volcano. Had the land used to look different back then? Suddenly the distant hum of treasure change as a once distant sound suddenly increased in volume as I heard Boulra exclaim:

"Found something!" Fascinating: treasure hidden sounded softer and I had almost overlooked it due to the constant hum of scattered coins on the sea floor.

Shanks and I carefully made our way towards where Mihawk and Boulra were peeling off a stone façade to show what was once a cellar door. When they managed to unseal the door we were met with the smell of dead air; this door hadn't been opened in decades if not centuries and the room was apparently air tight.

"Let's wait for that to uhh… air out." Boulra said as he leaned away, nose wrinkling at the scent. Inside we could see the first signs that this had once been occupied, though everything was scattered about and most of it was broken. I could spot many broken crates and their scattered contents lying about. Most of which were remains of mummified food and broken barrels of what might have once been drink.

 _+10 exp for the party discovering hidden rooms._

After a bit we entered and began to pick through the wreckage. It was a cellar containing supplies for the most part, but Boulra did find an undamaged though aged tapestry depicting a very feral and scaled creature that was a mix of mermaid and serpent staring out menacingly from a rather intricate underwater scene with a border of waves and ships. The inks had faded but it was still beautiful.. also mildly terrifying.

"Think that's what a siren looks like?" Shanks asked quietly as we all stared at it. "That's not a friendly pretty looking lady like some legends say."

"What legends have you heard?" Boulra chuckled. "Mermaids are the pretty ones. I always heard that Sirens had the voice of an angel but were monsters in body and mind."

"I've heard both types. Also one where it's a monsters body with a beautiful maiden's face that eats people after she's sung them into stupidity." I said as we rolled it up and Boulra used one of his belts to tie it to his back. The legend I mentioned was similar to the woven vision before us: a long lean serpentine body with a vaguely pretty face but a bit too long and with some terrifying teeth and sharp eyes-nice hair though.

"We shall have to see for ourselves if indeed there is a siren here." Mihawk stated as he looked round. "I believe there won't be anything else of interest here… perhaps we should return to Phil and investigate deeper? I doubt a siren would have a den so close to the ocean. Beasts like to hide deeper in their territory."

I nodded in agreement. "She might even be hiding in one of the fallen ships. Otherwise a cave under the water is where I bet we could find a den of a siren or sea serpent."

Heading back was a bit more awkward as Boulra was off balanced by the tapestry he had said he could get repaired or at least have recreated. After a few mishaps and broken walls we managed to make it back. Boulra used the rope to lower his tapestry into the boat as the rest of us took an easier path and simply jumped into the water.

Phil looked with interest at the rolled up tapestry and smiled slightly. "So you found something still here?"

"Empty buildings except one that had some pretty interesting pictures painted on its ceiling that hadn't faded. That one had a cellar." I responded as I nodded at the roll taking up the bottom of the boat. "That tapestry has what might be a siren on it otherwise everything else was destroyed or food long rotten."

"Pretty interesting. I've been looking at some of those spires… They aren't natural stone. In fact I bet most of them are fossilized trees or pillars from this settlement. Just covered in salt and worn away by the wind." I looked at the nearest one… it continued a very long way down.

"That's… a big tree?"

"Mm. I dove a bit and found the base had been covered in barnacles and sea flora that pretty much coated it and have kept its shape despite the wood rotting away. It looked like the top of a pine tree."

"Huh… So… really large pines?" I looked over at the mountain range. If it came from there… pines liked cold lands and the higher up you go the colder it got. "I think Mihawk's idea that this island is from the Red Line just got a whole lot more feasible." Mihawk smirked in response as he and Boulra took the oars and began to sail us deeper into the Graveyard.

As we went deeper in the clouds began to lighten up a bit, the darkest part bunching up against the mountains and hiding the tops from our view as they moved up and over the Red Line. We bypassed several other islets, none of them had ruins like the last one so we didn't try to explore them.

At noon we noticed a boat listing in the water next to an islet. Phil and Boulra decided to beach our small longboat while I and the others went to investigate the boat. It was a small single mast fat bottomed boat. The kind that fisherman usually used near the coasts; sea worthy but not something you wanted to travel in for long periods of time. Wandering over it we could find no trace of blood, fighting, or damage: a perfectly sea worthy boat just… floating here? Before I could try to think more on why it was here the thoughts simply… floated away and my muscles relaxed. Nothing was wrong. It was just a boat. Just a… calm day…

A gentle sound mixed with the wind, soothing and quiet I had barely noticed it as I'd wandered about the deck with Mihawk and Shanks. A sweet sound almost like a soft lullaby. What a lovely sound, so soothing, so beautiful. . .

 **AN: uhhh.. sorry it's been a year? Part procrastination, part new job, but mostly writers block have kept this story from advancing. All those people who kept following while I sat in hiding made me super guilty that this was not being updated so.. finally the twin forced me to sit and type so here you are! Next chapter is actually written just need to proofread it.**

 **Not posting stats since they haven't really changed from last chapter.**

 **edit: new cover art is Jasmine by Victoria Pimentel**

 **edit 2: why do they keep getting rid of my indentations? Hopefully its fixed.**


	11. Chapter 11: Attack of the Siren!

**Chapter 11: Attack of the Siren!**

A captivating voice haunts these reefs, singing an ancient song in a long forgotten tongue. The gentle splash of waves upon the shore and side of the ship is the beat while the winds whispering through the spires and across the creaking of the ship sing counterpoint to the barely heard aria. Words you couldn't quite hear- so you listened harder to make them out- calming, soothing, captivating words. Until suddenly there is only the voice and a sense of absolute serenity as the world falls away.

Upon the nearby shore two men straightened as they realized what they were hearing; one aged and wary of strange sounds upon the wind, the other used to hearing the lies hidden behind sweet words. Quickly shaking off the effects,they reach for their weapons as they turn towards the sea and song, eyes trying to spot the singer. Upon the fishing boat, two men and a woman, young and easily captivated by the dreams whispered upon the wind, stood in relaxed poses- enchanted and unaware of the danger they were in. All that mattered was the aria. It was the song of the sea, the same sound that sang to the bones of a sailor, that which lures good upstanding men to turn pirate and leave behind wife and kids. When men in the bars claim that the sea calls to them, it calls to them in this voice… a siren's voice.

The lean man with slanted dull grey eyes standing on the shore fires his pistol at the ship, aiming right next to his allies in a desperate bid to wake them, warn them of the shadow that he could barely see approaching at great speed from the west. The taller broader dark man next to him was racing towards the boat, staff out as he yelled for his companions to wake, to fight.

* * *

 **POV Jasmine**

A sudden bang interrupts the most beautiful song I've ever heard, waking me from a dream of the sea- of lying below the waves and watching the gentle play of light upon the water.

"You fools! Don't listen! Fight it!" A deep voice bellows from nearby and the dream fades though the voice still remains trying to lull me back into the peaceful trance.

Wake up? Listen… Dream... song…. .siren…. SIREN! The claim that voice had upon me shatters as I shake my head and begin to hum to try and keep that insidious soothing voice from overwhelming me again; to cover the sound of her voice with my own. Siren! How could we have been so stupid to not pay attention to the sounds! I looked over to try and see where Mihawk and Shanks were standing, to try and warn them that the siren was … _here_.

It was too late; there was no chance to wake them! My eyes widen in horror as a siren leapt from over the side of the ship directly at me. All I could see in that instant was a long lean scaled figure gleaming pale green in the light with long waves of dark wet hair streaming out from her face. A pretty human face edged in scales with the most vivid vicious pale eyes I'd ever seen above a too large mouth filled with far too many long sharp fangs.

In desperation I did the only thing I could do with the little time I had: a wordless note as full of my spirit as I could spend in a single second rang out as I swung my bo staff around and braced for her attack. I could only hope it broke her hold over the boys like Phil's voice had woken me as the siren's long too thin arms reached forward, long spiny clawed nails biting into my staff as her teeth snapped at my neck barely missing.

Her weight and momentum was too great and we tumbled across the deck and over the edge into the waters. I heard someone scream my name as I twisted about, straining my muscles to force the siren to take the brunt of the force when we hit the water. I managed to take a deep breath just before the waves hit, the salt water stinging my eyes and dulling the sounds from above.

Her voice became so much stronger under the waves, a compelling tone that demanded I surrender. I once more started humming to dull the effects of her voice and spun more spirit into it. It wasn't a song of inspiration as I could not actually vocalize words but it was enough to keep me from giving in to her voice. Around us bullets slid through the water trailing bubbles. Two managed to hit her lashing tail and her singing stopped as she hissed in anger and small wisps of dark almost black blood began to leak from the wounds. A snarl twisted the pretty face of a mermaid edged in scales into the feral beast she truly was; pure white orbs with a single long slit pupil seemed to almost glow in hunger and greed.

Her body was mostly tail, at least two thirds of it serpentine coils edged in tattered frills. Said coils whipped around and tried to bind my movements; I barely managed to shove my staff forward into where a human's stomach would be and heard the angry hissing stutter and halt with a grunt. Faster than I could move she lunged forward, her sharp needle like fangs sinking into my shoulder as her tail slithered about me in a bid to crush me to death. I thrust my knees upwards, bare feet trying to find purchase on the scaled coils so I could push her away as I held my staff parallel to my body to keep her from completely binding me and crushing my bones. Even with my considerable strength I could barely hold her at bay, the trembling in my limbs showing the strain of holding her off. My left elbow was lodged against her neck to keep her bite from shredding the thick muscle at the base of my neck. The water around me began to darken as I bled before she released my shoulder and leered at me, teeth stained with my blood. I could see the light above me dim as we sank deeper into the ocean; above us I could see the three silhouettes of my companions swimming towards us.

"Foolish tasty human. You cannot win. You cannot hope to survive!" Her speaking voice was guttural and filled with a deep hunger- it was also surprisingly easy to hear her.

I scowled at her as I used the space given to thrust my legs out a bit more, giving me space to jam an elbow into her throat. I was beginning to feel the burn in my lungs; the humming had lessened the amount of oxygen I had available. Her shrill screamed of rage was like a blade through my head- too high, too loud. I saw my health bar actually decrease; it was physically damaging me! I struggled to maintain some space to maneuver as she began tightening her constricting tail about me once more, I could see my bo staff bending at the ends despite the hard wood and steel reinforcement as my legs were forced to curl up under the strain once more. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw one of the figures nearby flinch and stop before trying to attack with a blade only to miss as the water slowed his strike.

The siren's head darted down again, teeth flashing in the darkening ocean waters and I barely had time to shift so she missed my throat. Instead she bit down upon my right shoulder again, her teeth scraping against bone this time. As I struggled even harder, trying to break her tail's grip around me, I noticed one thing; gills. Gills on her neck. Fish didn't like oxygen right? If they could breathe underwater they had to breathe like fish; if they breathed on the surface they breathed like us. So… if I forced air into the fish part would it hurt her? Matching thought to action I twisted forward and blew the last of my breath into the gills upon her neck in a sick parody of a kiss.

The siren spasmed and let go as her scream echoed out again and I sank further into the waters before struggling to swim away and up. Air—I needed air! I desperately swam up –how far had she dragged me? The figure with a staff- Phil- reached out to grasp my arm and began to swim towards the surface while the other two figures followed, keeping themselves between us and the screaming siren.

As we neared the surface, I felt something grasp my ankle. Without looking I slammed my staff downwards, getting a lucky solid hit on her face. The crunch as her nose broke vibrated through the staff and made me want to smile- but I had no time to capitalize on her flinching, I needed air. So I used her face as a stepping stone and propelled myself further upwards; I was so close! So close to the surface and air! A throbbing pain was spreading from my lungs and head; the lack of air was damaging both the stamina and health bars. Phil gave me a push upwards before twisting to swim downwards where Shanks and Mihawk were attempting to attack the siren. I broke the surface and gasped, taking in lungful's of air and sliding my goggles over my eyes so I could actually see under the water without the salt stinging my eyes. Boulra tried to pull me out but I shook my head.

"No time. I can fight still." I tossed him my dagger knowing he only had his guns and dove back down. My neck and shoulder were throbbing but my affinity for the water was keeping the wounds from bleeding too much. Looking downwards, my friends were falling back - or up towards me as it were- as they tried to fight, working as a team to keep her from wrapping around any one of them. While they could hurt the siren and had done some damage; neither of the boy's swords were moving at the speeds needed to truly harm her. Phil's staff was pretty much the same- the ocean draining most of the force from his blows. She was bleeding more now but more angered than truly hurting. I could see blood floating out from all three of my companions from where she'd gotten in a claw or tail swipe.

The instant she saw me swimming back down I saw her eyes gleam and focus upon my bleeding neck; did she have the sense of a shark? She slapped Phill away with her long winding tail and slithered too fast past Mihawk and Shanks, though I saw both use the chance carve deep gouges in her. I met her charge head on, my own speed in the water making her snarl as my staff moved unhampered through the water towards her face. She twirled and avoided it, her torso overshooting me as her tail slapped down at my face, the spines scraping across my cheek. Perfect! I grabbed ahold of her tail and pulled, making her snarl indignantly as her momentum was halted. She twisted around to try and grapple me, but I was prepared this time and my bo staff was braced lengthwise along her body and my boot met her face with a crunch. Phil swam behind her and wrapped a beefy arm about her neck as I swam away from him, stretching her out for only an instant, muscles already straining as she thrashed and almost escaped. We could only hold her for an instant but an instant was all we needed. Shanks and Mihawk saw a chance and put everything into two strikes, bisecting the siren and causing Phil and I to tumble apart as she separated and silence descended underneath the waves. I found myself holding the tail of a siren as the waters darkened as her blood spread in a hazy dark red mist.

 **Siren Defeated!**

 _+50 exp, exp decreased due to party_

 _Siren Song Unlocked, you may select it as a skill when you level up._

 _Unknown Status Effect Applied_

I swam upwards, carrying the body with me so we could at least take a picture of it. Boulra glared at me when I surfaced.

"A knife… you want me to dive into the water with only a knife to fight a Siren?" He grabbed me and hauled me up by my unharmed arm. His worried eyes took in the bite marks on my right shoulder and the bruises along my arms and back that were just now darkening from being gripped by her coils. My dark skin didn't show bruises easily but she'd done her best to squeeze me to death and it showed; both in the bruises and the health bar that was at about 60% despite the few hits I'd taken.

"Well- I figured if you were going to join in you'd need a blade?" I gave him a weak grin as I stretched, feeling the rather brief but painful fight now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He grumbled but leaned over to help the others up over the boats edge.

"Sirens are real!" Was the first thing Shanks said as he surfaced. "If that legend is real how many other legends are?" He seemed excited despite the experience.

"Well legends have to come from somewhere." I said as I tried to move my arm. "Anyone have something to clean wounds out with? Or bandages?" I should have worn a shirt… I could have used it as a bandage then! I could use the arm but it looked like I would be using my other arm for most things for a bit.

"That looks like a really bad hickey." Shanks laughed at me as I glared at him. "Gotta work on dodging."

Mihawk glared at him for me; "You are in no position to laugh. You were the last to wake up."

Boulra rolled his eyes. "You three were the only ones to fall for it. Phil and I didn't. Siren's sing- you'd think you'd pay attention to odd sounds you hear on the wind… And I dunno: _not listen_."

"Thanks for the gun shot and shout by the way… that's what woke me up." I tilted my head to give Phil a better look at the two bite wounds so he could try cleaning it out. He apparently had packed a shirt just in case it rained so he was using that to wrap it after he washed it out with some water.

"Glad to be of use." Phil smiled.

"I heard a bell." Shanks said with a shrug. "That startled me out of it."

"Same." Mihawk said as he eyed me. "I would almost think you had used the meito blade Boulra mentioned but you bare no blade…"

"Ah, I'm a singer and I figured a loud sound woke me up so I would do the same to you… could only really get a single loud note out since she was launching herself from the water right then." I looked over and saw Boulra looking at the Siren and taking pictures. She really was beautiful in a feral sort of way. Almost mermaid like, except with the tail of a sea serpent and longer thinner limbs. Her upper scales were pale green with it darkening to a dull grey green along the tail. Two lines of large bright turquoise spots lined her sides on either side of the frill sprouting from her spine. The frills were dark green edged in black and tattered from fights. She was completely scaled except for her face; the better to look human?The ears were small fins instead of human ears. Her jaw was like a snakes: when closed it was perfectly human, except she could open it large enough to swallow a good sized fish whole. Her mouth had the long thin needle like fangs at the front, but there were several rows of smaller jagged fangs behind them. Boulra was testing her teeth and nails on some wood and they cut as well as any blade.

"Well, now we know that sirens are real, and that songs that echo through the ocean are dangerous." I said wryly. "I think I might, with practice;"-and leveling up- "be able to sing like that one day. I've got a goal at last!" I grinned. When I looked up from my examination of the siren to see their incredulous expressions. "What?"

"You want... to sing like that?" The hawk eyed man sounded incredulous and I chuckled at his disbelief.

"You have a goal yes? To be the greatest. How do you know you are the greatest?"

"Because no one can beat you." Shanks responded for him.

"Well for a musician it's different. To be the best is hard as each instrument is different, each has its own voice and strengths. But a voice like a siren? A voice that is so hauntingly beautiful you have to listen to it? I want that… I want to be able to sing in such a way that my voice echoes through the waves." The siren's voice was the centuries old smooth exotic wine to my cask of last year's sake. The difference was immense! They seemed to understand or at least dropped the subject.

"I wonder where her nest is. I bet all the treasure from these ships are there… also the bodies of all the sailors from that earlier ship." I mused out loud. In fact my loot senses were pinging softly, forward and to the left a bit- I would have expected them to be coming from below us but it wasn't. Odd.

"She came from that direction." Boulra's hand pointed in the direction the gentle tugs were coming from. Bingo! "Least that's where I saw her approach from."

"Then that's where we'll check first." I murmured as we returned to the longboat.

* * *

After everyone had their wounds tended to-the siren had gotten a few good hits on Shanks and Mihawk that had not quite broken bones and Phil had a nasty gash on his back from the spiked end of the frill on the tail- we headed off, keeping an eye out for anything that could be a nest or other dangers. The sound of treasure may not have been downwards but as a siren the entrance was sure to be beneath the waves. Boulra, as the unwounded one, would go diving periodically as we (or the boys did at least) rowed towards a spire. This time he surfaced with a wide grin.

"Found it! Or at least one den if she had multiple. Big hole at the bottom of the spire leading downwards. Plenty of bones and shed scales so it's someplace she often visited! Its rather dark in there so I'll be using my camera's flash to light it up for us." Phil tied the longboat to the spire and joined us all in the water this time, each of us taking a sack down with us just in case we found a lot of treasure. The sounds told me there was something worthwhile here! Strains of soft ringing mixed with so many different deep gravely hums that I could barely hear the metallic clangs with that odd twisted _shrill_ to them. There was a whisper I'd never heard before till today as well, something I could barely make out but it was there... almost as insidious and soft as the siren's voice had been.

As we approached, the flare of the camera's light illuminated a creepy sight: a dark maw opening at the base of the upside down tree, it's long gone wooden shape replaced with barnacles and calcite making it look as if it was made of bones. Completing the picture were quite a few bones scattered near the entrance half buried under the pale sand. Of course, Boulra took a picture with all of us around it. After surfacing to take a deep breath of air in preparation, we swam into the gaping entry way. The tunnel curved and snaked downwards beneath the sand, held up by bones and broken spars of wood to keep it from collapsing. Eventually the sandy walls turned to stone ones: the same stone as the ruins we'd wandered through earlier. The rest of the town or city now lay beneath the waves. We were swimming fast now, shoving off the walls for that extra bit of speed, trying to find how deep it went before we would be forced to return to the surface for air. We were now in some buildings hallway and I could see broken windows showing a glimpse of a drowned city before we were diving down through a broken doorway then swimming upwards and up and... up...

Eventually, right before Boulra was going to turn back the hallway opened up into a large domed room filled with air. We all swam in place, breathing in the strangely fresh air as we looked around. The room was huge: in fact it looked like the same type of room where we'd found earlier with the hidden room just far bigger. This building too was on it's side and I could see cracks above us letting in filtered light. The many pillars supporting the tall vaulted ceiling were now parallel with the ground and covered in growths of coral and barnacles. There was, to the far right, what had once been a balcony and from there I could hear the vast majority of the treasure. But what truly drew my eyes and ears was a dark shape laying down upon the 'floor' of the half drowned room. I dove down to investigate it, the deep thrumming whispering of unheard words drawing me closer. I was feeling slightly wary; was it something like a siren? But no... it was a huge dark black stone twice as tall as I was covered in carvings. My hands brushed off the bones that lay a top it and scraped away some algae to reveal more of these carvings. Words, so many carved words in a long lost languages...

'The end is nigh so we carve our lives, our knowledge, our history, within this room in hopes that someday someone shall find it. So that the traitors do not destroy all that we are, all that we once were. '

 _+50 exp for Discovering Ruins of the Lost Empire_

 _+50 exp for discovering a Poneglyph._

I read until I was forced to return for air before immediately diving back down. I had to know who were these people? Who were these traitors? Who- what- why... so many questions! No wonder so many of us turn to archeology; the lure of lost knowledge and finding something no one had before were heady!

Apparently this had once been a city of merchants who dwelled upon the peaks of the tallest mountain chain. They dealt mostly in the trade of metals mined from said mountains. A history of who ruled, names, dates, events they thought important were all carved upon it. Upon the floor-now a wall- were carved pictures of islands and a star map imprinted over them each with a name. Each led to one of the major trading ports. While modern maps probably had different shapes for these islands and the names were most definitely different... those stars would still lead me to them! They shone the same as they had so long ago: I could find them. When I surfaced again I saw Boulra looking at me from a where he was perched upon a sideways column.

"Found something interesting?" He asked quizzically as I spied his camera.

"History for the most part... Mind if I take some pictures?"

"Hmm? Why don't I just follow you and you show me what to capture." He grinned as he slid into the water. Apparently he wasn't willing to hand over his expensive toy! I shrugged and swam down, pointing at each side of the large stone bloc than at each of the surviving maps carved into the 'wall.' he paused when he saw the block but took the pictures without complaint... I could only see a brief glance of something pass across his face before it was gone. Once that was all done I finally joined everyone else at the sideways balcony. While no dragon horde, the piles of gems and coins were impressive! Apparently one of the ships passing nearby that she'd claimed had been filled with metal ingots. I could spot quite a few gold and tarnished silver as well as rusted iron. Mihawk and Shanks were both cooing ( _cooing! Boulra promptly took a picture. Good man._ ) over a blade. From it the twisted shrill metallic sound emanated: it must have been a meito of some sort. It was a rather nasty looking blade if you asked me: slightly rusted from the humidity but the steel looked to be in good condition with a sharp jagged edge meant for ripping rather than slicing with the curved blade sliding into a bone handle with no hilt. It looked to be a twisted cross between a tanto and cutlass to be honest.

"Is there a reason you're cooing over a blade?" I asked curiously as I tightened one of my makeshift bandages that had loosened and exchanging a grin with Boulra.

"It's Shukketsu, one of the wazamono's!" Shank's gushed as he reverently held it. "There's only 80 in the world and wow... to think it's been rusting here in this ruin!" Shukketsu- bleeding death... The name fit the look of it: tear the wounds wide open so it can't heal or be bound easily and you'd bleed out fast. What a nasty blade! I shook my head and looked around to see if I could spot Phil since he wasn't over here withe the treasure.

"Is there any reason Phil's climbing the walls?" I asked curiously when I finally spotted him. I watched him somehow find purchase on damp stone walls and clamber up the curving wall in a gravity defying show of athletics.

"He wanted to find where the sun was coming from... see if it would be easier taking the treasure out a different way since we almost ran out of air on the way here." Boulra answered from where he was lounging by a pile of gems, separating them into piles.

"Makes sense." I nodded as I looked over the loot. It would take two trips since we only had a single large bag each and there was an impressive amount of metal ingots. Looking around I couldn't find where the siren would have slept... and there was more humming from below. I slid back into the water to investigate the underside of the balcony and the rest of the room now that I was no longer distracted by the poneglyph.

In a water filled room under where the boys were counting gold was a nasty nest of death filled with scales and treasure. Bones piled up into a circular nest with several artistic pieces embedded throughout in addition to quite a few shed scales; I picked up some of the largest since I wanted a trophy and wasn't willing to skin a person no matter how monstrous they might be. A tarnished bronze dragon statue the size of my arm had place of pride on the wall where the siren had gouged out a shelf of sorts. Interesting coral formations, some with rudimentary carvings, that glowed softly in the darkness lay next to it. The natural coral was beautiful: shades of pale pink, blood red, and sunset orange elegantly twisted about almost like miniature bonsai trees. A few had pale purple or yellow markings upon them. The carved ones were horrifying: the same beauty but with screaming faces scratched out like the coral was in agony. What I had thought to be a skull turned out to be a large pale gleaming stone carved into a skull... pretty and terrible all at once. But the real prize was a beautiful set of arm guards: the material wasn't metallic but it was in perfect condition despite the water. Dark green with golden inlay along the edges carved into a serpentine shape they were elegant looking. But were they of any use? I placed them in my bag and swam back upwards in time to see Phil swimming back to us. I handed the bag over to Boulra to finish dividing up the treasure (since he apparently knew how to appraise things) and waved at Phil.

"I found where she slept and some interesting art pieces. What'd you find?" I asked as I gave Phil a hand out of the water.

"Where we are! This is actually one of those islet's we saw but didn't approach. The building has been completely covered in dirt I guess which is why we didn't realize it was a building. When I looked out one of the cracks I could spot the Lady Lark actually. It has a good view of the surrounding areas... and the Siren left plenty of marks on the walls to show she climbed it to get a good view. One of us can swim back to the long boat and the rest of us can climb out and wait for them up here if you wanted to make less trips." He responded as he cast an eye over the treasure.

"I'm a fast swimmer so I can go." I offered only to be shot down.

"No; you'd have to row the boat over here and you need to try to take it easy on those shoulder muscles." Phil glared at me like the over-protective granny he was. The water had been helping me heal! Honestly! Water affinity was such a nice thing but it wasn't like I could tell them that could I?

"I'll go." Mihawk offered. "I have better eyesight in the darkness and this should provide enough light." Mihawk held up one of the screaming coral bonsai pieces that emitted a gentle glow. Boulra and Shanks looked at each other and shrugged; neither minded not going.

"Right. You set off and we'll start hauling loot upwards!" Phil said in a cheerful voice. "Good thing it's over water so if you fall it shouldn't hurt too much!" I looked up at the walls, slick with moisture, then back down the piles of heavy gold, silver, and iron ingots... this was going to take a while...

 **AN: And there you go folks! I haven't written the next chapter so the wait will be a bit. Hopefully less than a month but we shall see. No character sheet today but next chapter it'll be uploaded. She didn't get enough to level up.**

 **Also anyone have any ideas for feats? I have a list but I feel like it is lacking.**


	12. Chapter 12: Arrows Island

**Chapter 12: Southwards to Arrows Island!**

Once the treasure had been hauled over in the long boat, Shanks asked to go back and bring over the fishing boat since it could easily be sold or used by any of them on their journeys. The throbbing in my shoulder told me that I needed to take it easy for a bit so I stayed behind and got working on a few things that didn't take too much movement. I sat in my cabin figuring out how to attach the odd contraption Boulra had bought to my denden mushi that would allow me to fax pictures from the camera to be printed. Once that was done I pulled out my maps of North and West Blue and began to see if I could locate either of my treasure maps while I waited for my star map pictures to be printed.

 _ **Quest: X Marks the Spot!**_

 _Find and visit the location of the hidden treasure marked on your treasure map._

 _+200 xp per map_

 _Undiscovered Treasure Maps: 2_

I paused in my plotting to look at the notifications. Hmmmm. When I had thought about climbing the Red Line a quest had popped up and now only after looking at the maps and starting to look did I get a quest for it- were quests based off of intent? If so why did I not get a Siren quest of some sort?

I looked over and sighed as the pictures printing were still on Shanks posing at the first ship… I would have to wait a while to see if I got a quest for the star maps as well. So I pulled out an abacus, extra paper and a pencil to try and calculate a vague location for the island based on the guiding lines of the map.

After an hour of staring at maps, way too much math and geometry I came to the conclusion that both maps were about halfway through the Grandline and near the northern calm belt boundary… unless I had done my math wrong or the cartographer had gotten something wrong. Only one way to find out: going there! I'd managed to at least narrow down the location to a less general area other than 'near the calm belt' but it would still take weeks of sailing to search the area I'd marked off but it was better than sailing blind.

Standing up to stretch and pop my back, I skimmed the pictures Boulra had taken before finding the ones with the maps and poneglyphs in them. The first few pictures were rather blurry but the more he took the better they got. There was one rather beautiful picture of Mihawk looking down with the clouded light playing on the waves above him; really caused his eyes to pop! I also rather liked the one he'd gotten of me as I swam upwards in one of the rare sunbeans that had broken through the clouds that day. Placing the other photos aside for a later time to really look at them, I headed back to my desk and maps. Before I started to try and find where the maps were located, I had to translate them and make a copy I could safely hang up on my wall without worry. The pictures I hid inside Bloody Bergaher's logbook before stashing that inside the desk. I would need to find a safer location later.

 _ **Quest: Following the Stars!**_

 _Find and visit the location marked by the poneglyph star map._

 _+200 xp per map_

 _Undiscovered Star Maps: 7_

Turns out truly intending to follow a thought or dream plus some action caused a quest to appear. I bet if I had some evidence of the siren beforehand or had thought about 'proving' she existed I would have had a quest rather than just a 'I want to go there and see if she's there!' Ah well, it wasn't like I had to only go places where quests lead!

Since I didn't hear my companions come back yet, I started to work on the star maps, some of which had vaguely familiar constellations; they were from my part of the hemisphere! Comparing the markings to my astrological chart and the Blue Maps I had, one map appeared to be overlapping with a known island: Sealsburg far to the south. It didn't match the outline at all, but considering most of Sealsburg was iced over perhaps it had changed? I could, however, match up the tall mountain peak on both maps!

Going over the photos and information this island, once called Windaju, had been where the merchants would go for big game items: apparently the Lord's family there were all big time hunters who went after large creatures from around the world and sold the exotic gruesome trophies and materials.

 _ **Quest: Following the Stars!**_

 _Undiscovered Star Maps: 6_

 _Potentially Discovered Star Maps: Sealsburg_

Well… apparently I wouldn't receive any hints if I'd gotten it correctly: potentially discovered indeed!

Hmmmm… If I left the West Blue now I'd be missing the opportunity to visit this island for a long time. I didn't need to drop off Shanks, Phil, and Mihawk at Louge town since they were bringing back a boat of their own so I could theoretically leave now….

Choices choices!

I managed to place a second one soon after: the island the ancients had called Ardhi'Nyasi was currently called Belkra and it used to be a much larger land that was probably pure grasslands based on the amount of textiles and wool based products they traded. Today it was a much smaller dryer island in North blue that had very little to recommend it.

 _ **Quest: Following the Stars!**_

 _Undiscovered Star Maps: 5_

 _Potentially Discovered Star Maps: Sealsburg, Belkra_

 _+1 to Mind Stat for a session of strenuous calculations_

The notification popped up after I'd finished most of my calculations and was down to rewriting some notes. I wondered if there was some sort of experience bar for gaining a point in a stat: easy to gain at first but took longer the more you practiced.

A knock on the door startled me out of my math induced haze. Looking up I saw an amused Boulra leaning against the door frame backlit by a reddish light. I realized the sun was setting as and I was squinting to see the words on my papers. I'd been so focused I hadn't noticed the fading light at all!

"Having fun with the maps?"

"Sorta." I smiled at him as I stretched out the kinks from back; hunching over a table with a compass and maps had caused the muscles to stiffen up again. "I think I've located the general vicinity from some treasure maps I have. I worked on that while the pictures were printing. I think I also located two of the star maps you took pictures of, though I'm not too sure since it's been eight centuries since the Lost Century and the lands have apparently changed."

"Oh?" He walked in to look at my sketched maps.

"Sealsburg today has the same mountain and matches the location but the shape is very different. Probably due to ice." He looked at the stolen map I'd taken from Bergher's ship on Chutorial Island and smiled.

"You thinking of maybe heading down that way?"

"Well… It might be years before we are in West Blue again… and there is that fishing boat." I hesitated before sighing. "And the only reason I was headed to Louge Town was to watch the execution of the Pirate King for… respectful reasons. You know-honor the king and all that. I don't really need to see the world government gloat over his dead body. And since I have a ship now all I really need is a few more crew members and I'd rather do that here in West rather than the weakest of the blue seas. Not to mention I'd like some time to get used to new crew members and the _Lark_ before we enter the Grandline." I rambled a bit as I tried to put my thoughts in order. While the original feelings of going to honor the fallen king were still there, the call of ruins from the Lost Empire were stronger!

"They'll understand. You are right about needing a crew. We can pick up some deckhands at Arrows Island since it's the closest island south of us. I've had to do some deliveries in the past there and it's usually full of sailor and merchants." Deliveries?

"You won't be in trouble there right? I mean- you mentioned fleeing to the monastery…"

"Nah. I don't have a bounty and the ones who would have an issue are further west." His fingers traced a path down the map from island to island before stopping at a small string of islands. "Since we are headed down south… perhaps on the way back if we are in time we can stop here. Dragon's Spine."

"Oh? Something there of interest?"

Boulra looked up at me with an amused smirk. "For someone so interested in legends I cannot believe you'd forget about the Crane Drake Festival!" I tilted my head and tried to figure out what he meant by that. I rifled through my 'memories' and found one; Crane Drakes would show up at this one island once a century when an exceedingly low tide would reveal a sunken island filled with ruins. There they would lay eggs and wait for last centuries eggs to hatch; it was a sea wide event and people from all around would show up for the biggest festival in West Blue. The marines were always there in force to keep people away from the nesting spots while on the main island a huge week long party took place.

"Ohhhhhh! I remember now! Yes; definitely stopping there!" And maybe sneaking across to the nesting site! My pause might be off cooldown by then right?

"It'll be in a bit more than a month so we should have time." Boulra chuckled before heading back out the door. "We finished divvying up the treasure if you want to come out and see. You got most of the art objects since you weren't out to stake a claim on the rest."

I chuckled as I followed: I should have expected that! I didn't mind too much, that dragon statue was pretty awesome! It would look lovely right next to my beautifully carved boxed compass.

Turns out since I wasn't there I got all the metal ingots while the boys had claimed the loose coinage. I could trade those to a smith in exchange for items needed in my brewery or just provide the materials and pay half price to forge them if need be so I wasn't too upset. And how could I be unhappy with the sheer amount of treasure? Especially the beautiful gems! More sparkling gems to add to my collection: large fist sized emeralds, pearls of many different sizes and colors, large chunks of gem quality star rose quartz and jaspers in addition to my pretty coral pieces and the large dragon statue. I did end up trading some of the emeralds for the arm guards to Phil who was just going to sell them anyways. Boulra was the happy owner of Shukketsu since Shanks and Mihawk both used a different style of blade. The large moonstone that was carved and polished into a skull shape was Shanks' while Mihawk had claimed the extra gems. Everyone had one of the horrifying carved coral that glowed; apparently they decided it would be the memento from this adventure. Mihawks was reddish with a deep pink glow: I think the man has a fixation on reddish things… Like blood and roses.

I was going to carry the barrels of metal down but Boulra and Phil took my three barrels away before I could even try to lift them.

"Sit back down and tell 'em what you've got planned." Boulra said with a smirk as he stole my barrel of gold and silver.

"I could carry them! It's not too bad a wound… really." I grumbled before leaning back against the mast. I looked at Shanks and Mihawk, one with an open question on Shanks' face and a blank mask on Mihawk's. "So I'd love to keep going north with you all… but one of the maps I found points south to Sealsburg. It'll be the safest way to figure out if the maps are accurate at all or just a lost goose chase."

"Wait, you found maps? Like... treasure maps?" Shanks asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah I… oh wait. You didn't know what I found in the Siren's lair. In the water there was a poneglyph and a bunch of star maps carved on the walls leading to where the residence of the sunken city traded. Most of that city is probably still up on the Red line somewhere. A lot of the carvings were destroyed since they weren't made of the same material as the poneglyph but seven of them survived. The maps might lead to other poneglyphs so I wanted to try following one."

"Is that what you were taking pictures of? Think there will be more treasure?" Shanks grinned as he leaned back into a pile of gold bars. He had apparently managed to talk his way into owning most of them.

"Not sure about treasure… but if the carved words are right, Sealsburg used to be where the big game and monster hunters lived during the Lost Century so I'm hoping for information on creatures they used to hunt that might not exist anymore or are hard to find."

"For someone who keeps insisting you are not an archeologist you do seem to want to explore ruins a lot." Mihawk quietly commented from where he was cleaning his gems and silver bars.

"Well... I'm not. Not really. I mean- I was raised by archeologists so you pick some things up. But I was formally trained as a brewer!" I protested. "I just like going on adventures and learning about historical things!"

"Like archeologists do?" Mihawk smirked before looking over at Shanks. "I see no problem with it since we do have a working ship to go north in."

"Same here. We got a bit of adventure and I'd love to keep traveling on the _Lark_ but we did all know we would eventually split up. It's just happening a bit sooner! We'll have to throw a party for the success of today and to say goodbye!" He grinned and Phil, who was returning to the deck with Boulra at that moment, laughed.

"Not sure if we got enough food for a big party. Boulra and I purchased enough for two weeks of travel but not a lot of leeway…" I cautioned him as I tried calculating how much food they'd all eat… while adding in the fact that I would be heading down south with a bit less than a week's travel with favorable winds till the next island.

"We'll just have a normal dinner and lots of booze. And look through my pictures." Boulra chuckled. "And since Shanks offered he can make dinner tonight…" The others agreed over the red haired boys objections. So as he slaved over a stove, the rest of us grabbed a few of the beer barrels Boulra had bought back at Shattered Heart, a few of my own bottles and settled around the simple table inside the dining room to browse over the photos. Boulra took his favorites and placed them into an album while the rest of us took the leftovers or reprinted extras for ourselves. I pinned several up on the wall next to my desk and mapping workspace. I would have to see how safe it would be to make a wall map of everywhere we'd been… of if I should just keep it in a logbook. A logbook of my own sounded like a good idea now that I was thinking about it!

* * *

The next day was a late start as we all slept off hangovers(and Boulra got a photo of all of us standing in front of the _Lark_ ), but eventually we managed to get supplies on to their ship and wave goodbye before Boulra and I turned our gazes southward.

The journey south took longer than it should have: instead of a five day journey, it took eight days. The reason being we had too few hands; with only one person on the rigging and the other at the helm we weren't able to keep the sails at the best position to catch the wind the entire trip down. Add in a day of no winds and quiet seas and we were even slower! While we did have a workable engine and paddle wheel we didn't have the coal to fuel it; something I would definitely have to rectify next town we hit. That windless day Boulra and I spent chatting, fishing, and sparring; it was a very nice break and allowed us to get to know each other a bit more. When we sparred, Boulra swapped what weapons he'd use, sometimes his staff, sometimes just fists, and a few times with his cutlass. I tried my hand at a sword but it didn't feel right so I stayed with my fists and staff for now. We were pretty even skill wise; he always won with a blade while I would win a staff spar and unarmed it was a toss up. As we sparred I noticed that there was decreasing rewards for each round: I guess you could only gain so much experience from sparring one person! The training also nabbed me a Body stat increase which was nice. Once I got a bigger crew I could put some more time into training, the simple stretches, katas, and exercise routine I did before I went to bed was keeping me in shape but not improving myself. I would need to do some training for my speed since it was falling down and I didn't want to rely on Soru for fast movement all the time.

I also got a bit more of his history; turns out he'd actually wanted to join the marines at one point but had gotten dragged into crime. His love of photography was something he'd always had though his skills had always been more with people and numbers.

After we weighed anchor each night and had a few spars, he did his best to teach me how to shoot a pistol and how to appraise items while I taught him more about navigation and sailing. I ended up spending my stored skill point on appraise; it was a useful ability! It gave me far more information when I tried observing items which was nice, plus when I tried observing someone I got a bit of information on the clothing and items they wore. One night we were talking about bounty hunting and if we should actively try and that's where I found out that unless your bounty was above a million they didn't distribute them in the news coo's and even then they only distributed a bounty poster in the general area you were active in or had been through. That made it fairly easy, in my opinion, for a criminal to hide as long as they moved far enough away. I would have to check up on new bounties when we hit new islands just to keep abreast of who was in the area. I wouldn't actively hunt people down unless truly strapped for cash or if they attacked, but it would be good to be known for following laws and being friendly with the marines.

About a day out of Arrows Island I sat down outside with a book pretending to read while I took a look at my character sheet since I hadn't checked it since the siren's fight.

A single line below my Statuses caused me to stop: _Unknown Status Effect: 0% Incubation_

I stared at it trying to recall when this had happened… It had to have been sometime during the fight or afterwards since I hadn't really been paying attention to notifications at that point…. Unknown status… was my wound infected? That incubation… Do sirens have rabies? I need a doctor! I ran a hand over the raised red scabbed bite mark, it didn't feel infected...

I couldn't really do anything about it other than keep track of when it increased and try to find what caused the incubation to increase so I shoved down the flare of panic and continued on.

There wasn't any other surprises waiting for me, though I did notice that I had a quest log tab next to my Bounty tab and all the weapons that had been identified finally had weapon damage listed next to them. Swords really were deadly! Gōrudenkorāru dealt 50 per hit compared to my wooden staff's 10 damage. Maybe I should look into a naginata for the more dangerous opponents or monsters?

"Think we'll be able to find a good doctor at Arrows Island?" I asked Boulra as he came out with two plates full of food.

"A doctor?" His eyes flickered to where my fingers were tracing the bite mark. "Not too sure about that. Arrow's is known more for merchants than doctors. We can always ask around and see if an apprentice is willing to set sail, might get lucky."

"I'll look for that then and leave hunting sailors down to you." I closed my book and accepted the food with a smile. It was a simple meal of stew and bread but tasty nonetheless.

"So what kind of people are you looking for? I know you're wanting fighters, a doctor and a chef but what else? Anything special you are looking for, personality's you'd like to avoid or things like that?"

"Hmm. Well a shipwright would be nice but I think maybe that can wait till we are in the Grandline since they'll be more familiar with it than a blue sea shipwright. Otherwise I can't think of a job we'd need you didn't mention. As for personalities, preferably people who want to adventure but not too bloodthirsty. I don't want to deal with murdering pirates. I'd like people who've sailed before." I chuckled as I thought of how hard it would be to find people who wanted to adventure, could fight, were sailors, but weren't pirates or marines. This world didn't have a high population of merchants or travelers who took to the seas without a marine escort and all the issues that came with it.

"Hmm. And backgrounds? If they've got a bounty or were a criminal…"

"Eh? Well… If they want to make an honest effort to not be a criminal I've got no issue! And bountied people- well we just left three of them behind! I guess it depends on what they got that bounty for. Mass murders are a no go, but political bounties, or pirates like Phil, Shanks, or Mihawk I don't mind." There were times that people were framed or the government put a bounty on a someone for politics or because a noble asked or those who simply refused to follow rules.

"That I think I can do. You'll want to dress up a bit while we are in town." Boulra's dull grey eyes glinted with amusement at my confused expression. "Since you are officially a captain it'll be expected: nothing too fancy, but enough to convince people that it'll be profitable to join. Your usual tank top and cargo shorts will make it seem like we are fishermen rather than adventurers heading for the Grandline."

"Really?" I looked down at my comfy simple outfit. "So I should bust out that captain's coat I looted from the Emerald Corsairs?"

"Wouldn't hurt. Might look a little odd with sandals, a tank top and shorts though." He chuckled as I frowned at him.

"I'll add clothes shopping to the list." I suppose I could stand to dress myself up a bit. Maybe a snazzy vest and some different belts or sashes?

"We have a list?"

"Mm. We need to trade in the metal for some gear for my brewery, buy supplies needed to make some brews, coal and replacement parts for the engine, restock on food and grab a spice chest, cold weather gear since Sealsburg is frozen. Sell some of my treasure if I can stand to part with it, see if I can get maps of East and South blue, some extra journals for logbooks, parchment and ink for maps…." I ticked them off on my hands as I thought of what I would need going forward. "Maybe a few extra pistols and ammunition. I should probably buy a second weapon just in case my staff breaks. Can you think of anything else?"

I finished my meal while Boulra thought on the question as he ate.

"We might need a cannon. Pirates usually attack with cannons to try and cripple a ship before coming in to board."

"True. Maybe some extra wood and metal sheets for repairs if the _Lark_ gets damaged. I'm going to spend all the treasure I just got aren't I?" I sighed sadly.

"It's why pirates are always attacking! It's expensive to keep a ship and crew afloat!" Boulra laughed.

We headed off to bed after our conversation, tomorrow we would hopefully be hitting Arrows Island and gaining some more people. I wanted at least two more before heading further down south. Hopefully we'd find some entertaining people who just wanted to sail the seas and have an adventure!

* * *

On the eighth day we finally spotted Arrows Island about noon; on our way into port we passed a marine ship finishing up what looked to be a fight with pirates. Their flag was a jolly roger holding a dagger in its teeth and had crossed swords rather than bones; I spotted a ton of blades among the crew. Was that their theme?

"Think they are the blade pirates or something?" I called down to Boulra from my perch on the main mast.

"Not all pirates have a theme you know!" Boulra laughed as he called back. "They might just be a group who really like swords! Themed crews come from a captain who's really loony or a dreamer who thinks it looks cool."

"So… they could be the blade pirates is what I hear?" I snickered and scampered about reeling the sails in now that we were getting close to the docks.

"They could." He sighed and adjusted the wheel to keep us on course, tying it in place before he joined me in the riggings. Together we managed to tie the sails up so we slowed down as we approached the docks.

Arrows Island was a lightly forested island with a large impressive cliff pointing southwards. It was named for the shape of the island: an arrow pointing south with a few smaller islands at the northern end. We were docking at the second largest port here, the largest was a city in the Nala Kingdom on the other side of the island from us. While we probably would have better luck finding a doctor in the city, it was full of nobility and had the royal palace so Boulra and I chose to avoid it. Mikan Town was a loud port town filled with lots of fishermen and some merchant ships filling the piers. The town itself was clean looking, the white walled buildings and blue tiled roofs a nice contrast to the abundance of greenery and vining flowers everywhere.

"Pretty town." I remarked to Boulra who was tying up the ship to the dock as I headed in to my cabin to change. I was going to wear the captain's coat, until I realized I had nothing that worked with it! Simple tank tops and t-shirts plus cargo pants did not work the elegant coat at all! There was no way to make the coat fit with anything I owned. Oh well; I'd get some more clothes then change before we went crew hunting.

Leaving behind my fancy coat, Boulra and I found a blacksmith first and ended up borrowing a cart to load all the barrels of ingots up to bring to him and trade. While he couldn't make the equipment I needed for my brewery he was certainly willing to trade for the coal needed to run the engines, a single cannon, 15 cannonballs, a barrel of gunpowder, basic mechanic tools, basic tools for a carpenter and the metal we needed to repair the ship if things went bad as well as a checkup on the engine to make sure everything worked. Boulra managed to also get him to add in some weapons and call it even. I'm not sure if everything we bought was worth the 40,000 or so beri of the ingots but I think it was a good trade! I think out of the four men I had traveled with, Boulra was the best companion to keep! I got someone who could haggle with the best of them and could figure out how to get everything I needed without me doing too much!

We hit several small stores that he knew of to trade in the extra coral bonsai sculptures, I traded one for a lovely painted picture of the Ohara Tree of Knowledge in a sunset. It was a wonderful surprise to find something of 'home' out here. It was worth Boulra's grumblings about me and my artwork! I had fun exploring the bustling marketplace, chatting with stall owners, listening to gossip, sampling the food, and taking in all the items for sell while enjoying the side comments from Boulra about the quality of items versus their prices. The folk here were far more relaxed and louder than the other places I'd visited, willing to answer questions and point me to actual stores that were off the main market square. I found some interesting books in one store that had Boulra joking about Ohara bookworms. In a quieter part of town Boulra pointed out several shops that sold higher end outfits and we had a shopping spree. I picked up some nicer boots, a couple of vests, sashes and some pants with bird decals running along the outside seams. I picked up some loose capri's in a light hardy cloth that was bound at the calves with decorative bands: they were light enough I would be able to swim better and they'd dry faster than my jeans. Boulra seemed to like the more rough and roguish look and picked up a few leather pieces and new boots. Overall it was a very fun morning and early afternoon of power shopping and Boulra and I had a blast bonding as we scoured the stores for the best deals on things we needed. We managed to pick up everything on my list except the food and water which would be bought after we got new crew members and had some food; shopping was exhausting and we both needed to recharge.

Straightening the cuffs of my captain's coat, I wandered back to the top of the deck. Looking around for Boulra, I spotted him leaning up against the mast and eyeing something on the docks. I looked over and saw the pier next to where we were docking had a large broad shouldered man with a huge sword strapped to his back and a small boy with bright blue hair standing next to him standing by a large cart filled with barrels and boxes. From the markings on the wood, it looked like they were filled with food. The man was completely covered in freckles and had dark red hair in a tight braid, a loose partially buttoned white shirt tucked into worn brown pants with thick black boots. What really drew my eye was his beard; instead of the entire chin being covered it was shaved except for two spots on the chin that he'd braided into two long braids. The boy couldn't have been more than fifteen, all long gangly limbs and an acne problem who was dressed rather colorfully in a long sleeveless overcoat of dark blue with green edging over a black shirt and tan shorts and bright blue sandals. The kid had a despairing shocked expression on his face while the man looked very put out…

"Those two- how much you willing to bet that pirate ship we passed on our way in is theirs?" Boulra said and with a crooked grin.

"No bet! Wonder why they got left behind?"

"My guess is they had just started shopping when the marines attacked and the pirates tried to flee. Probably should have stayed at the docks and tried fighting hand to hand since the marines wouldn't risk damaging the citizens." Boulra got a speculative gleam in his eyes. "You ready to go meet some pirates and see if they want to join? The boys too young to have a bounty and his clothes too new to have been at sea for long but his companion looks like a fighter."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not? I don't recognize the fighter so he either doesn't have a large bounty or only recently got one. Plus they come with supplies pre-purchased!"

"The supplies themselves would be worth taking on two for a bit wouldn't they?" I murmured giving them a second look over. "Well, it would be such a waste to let all that food go to waste. Let's go recruiting shall we?"

 **[[Jasmien Bio 1]]**

 **When I went to upload ch 13 I noticed ch 12 had some formatting errors. Also fixed some grammer errors before reloading this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13: Crew Expansion!

**CH 13: The Crew Expands!**

 **Kanjiro's point of view:**

Of all the bad luck! He'd had finally found a crew that wasn't a bunch of scumbags and they had to be captured by the marines already! Before they even left West Blue! The tall broad shouldered man tugged at one of his braids with a deep sigh as he considered the floating debris out in the bay and the young boy at his side. What to do now? His chance to get to the Grandline with honorable pirates had literally just sunk and he was left with a bunch of food he couldn't really sell for enough money to buy a boat. Plus he had a wet behind the ears kid on the run from his family to look after… He couldn't just leave the boy to fend for himself! The little tyke would go and do something stupid to try and prove himself and probably die.

The sudden feeling of eyes upon him pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced about and saw where the feeling was coming from: a small two mast schooner that wasn't the fastest nor the strongest but a decent ship. Not too many people on it either. In fact he could only see the one: a lean shifty looking fellow with a calculating look about him. He was soon joined by a taller woman, dark, broad shouldered with a head of bushy curls. Based on how she was dressed the lass was not a criminal; too clean looking, too open a face. The sly looking one that was a criminal or he'd shave his beard! Was the girl the same and just had an honest face to fool people with?

"Kanjiro, what're we going to do?" The blue haired boy next to him asked hesitantly as he looked up at the much taller man.

"Mm. Not too sure." Kanjiro noticed the two strangers seemed to be talking about them if he read the gestures right. "We can try to bust the crew out of prison but we'd have no ship to escape on. That's if we could even find where they are being kept. I know the prison ship is picking up people on the other side of the island at Palan city soon so we'd have to somehow free them today if it was possible. But there are only two of us so…" He sighed. Much as he would like to free the crew it wasn't like he was attached to them. He'd joined mere months ago and had only been accepted due to his skill with a blade and in the kitchen. Mostly for his cooking skills if he was going to be honest with himself. Much as he wanted to be the best with a blade, Kanjiro knew he was actually better with his fists. Not that he was going to let that stop him! He just needed more practice… "Try not to look too lost kid. We might not be so outta luck." The ginger saw the strangers head off their boat and start to approach them. "Depends on what those two want."

The teenager tried to sneakily glance where Kanjiro was looking but failed. "One of em looks … untrustworthy."

"That he does." Kanjiro smirked briefly before turning to face the approaching duo. "But he's not the leader… At least his body language says so. The lass is and she's got a lot more honest face than him. We'll just have to see if they're honest or thieves." The irony of worrying about thieves was not lost to him, considering that both he and the boy had joined a pirate ship. But he'd been around enough pirates to tell that there were many types who sailed under a jolly roger and not all were bad.

* * *

 **Jasmine's POV**

As we approached I could tell that the tall ginger had certainly noticed Boulra and my conversation aboard the ship. Up close the teenager looked even more awkward and out of place: clothes too clean and new, the bright vivid colors declaring that he hadn't worked under the sun for too long. His hair was far too fluffy and clean: the sides of his head buzzed to leave a silky looking curly semi Mohawk falling to one side. He obviously had a lot of time to tend to his looks. Nervous body posture hidden beneath false confidence telling me he hadn't seen too much combat either. Folks who've fought often enough had this air about them, like they knew what they were doing. Like the big guy next to him! He was built like a brick wall with scars and an aura of don't-mess-with-me. One might be a keeper and the boy could always be trained!

"Afternoon." I greeted them as we got close enough. "Would you two be looking for a berth by any chance?"

"We might." The gingers voice was deep with no sign of aggression or arrogance which was a plus. "Depends on who's hiring and where they're going."

"Well. I'd be hiring. The names Jasmine. This here's Boulra." I introduced my quartermaster with a grin. "As for where we are going, eventually the Grandline. I've got a few stops down south before we leave West Blue. Mostly to find a crew and get used to them before I leave the safe zone."

"Kanjiro. This here is Kaito. You traveling for a reason?"

"Mostly to explore, I want to taste the different brews from around the world, go on adventures… eventually settle down and build a tavern ship when I'm old and brew and sell drinks from all across the world."

Boulra chuckled from next to me. At my questioning look he smirked; "Every time you say that I keep thinking it sounds like you are going to drink your way around the world."

"Hmm… It does doesn't it…" I thought for a moment before shrugging it away. "Well it's true enough." I looked back at the interested look on the big fellow's face. "We aren't pirates and I do not intend on becoming one. If I do run into people who can't accept that we are simply adventurers, I can always say I am a bounty hunter."

"Wait, you're a bounty hunter?" The little blue haired boy gave me a suspicious look.

"Well... not really? We got attacked while on the _Casanova_ by a group of pirates and my companions kinda ducked out of the rewards since it turned out they all had bounties… so I got the acclaim of being the one to take down the pirates and now I am apparently a bounty hunter."

"She doesn't exactly keep up with the bounties though, so long as she doesn't get attacked she doesn't really care about the bounties." Boulra chimed in lazily

"So.. you don't mind that he's Bloody Brawler Kanjiro?" Kaito asked with narrowed eyes. Any response by us was cut off by the disgusted growl from Kanjiro.

"Brawler! I'm a bleeding swordsman not a brawler! See the large ass sword? Blind ass marines!"

"Least it… sounds cool?" I was shocked into silence for a while at his vehemence at his title. It was apparently an issue with him. I could understand actually; he was eternally stuck with a title he didn't like. But then why'd he get the bounty in the first place?

"Could be worse. Like Red Haired Shanks. Poor Shanks." Boulra chuckled softly. I got the feeling he'd never let Shanks live down his inglorious epitaph.

"So why the title of brawler if you're a swordsman?" I asked to interrupt Kanjiro's murderous grumbles.

"I may have got into one too many bar fights with marines. Bounty ain't much to be honest, only reason I've actually got it is cause I won my blade from a Marine Lieutenant. He was a sore loser and claimed I stole it instead of won it in a fair fight." Oh good! I had been worried that his title meant he was a murderer or something. But this was a political bounty! And since he was a swordsman that meant a fighter! Which I needed!

"So if it's not too much it'd be safe to have him on board in the Grandline… right Boulra?" I turned towards him. "You mentioned that the smaller bounties tend to only be distributed locally?"

"So long as we don't piss off the marines and give them an excuse yeah. Gotta be careful while in West Blue and make sure he isn't recognized when we pass through Port Town to Reverse Mountain but otherwise yah."

"I don't have a problem with the bounty then. What other skills do you have?" I turned back to the large broad shouldered pirate.

"Chef. I grew up helping my mum in her tavern and learned to cook." Kanjiro's hand landed on Kaito's head, "The kid here is just starting out. He knows how to run the riggings though and I've been teaching him what I can about the kitchen and sailing but my style of fighting requires more strength and size than he's got on him."

"I can fight!" Kaito pushed the hand off his hair and fluffed it back into placed. "Might not be as strong as you but I'm still good in a scrap! What about you?"

Chef, fighter, and sailor! Jackpot! Kid had a brain it seemed, asking what we did.

"Well, I'm the Captain, navigator and musician I guess if I have to list it all. Also the brewer. "

"Quartermaster I believe Jasmine called me." Boulra smirked at the swordsman's raised eyebrow. "I know where to get items for better prices and can keep her from being cheated. Captain's trusting."

"I like to give people a chance is all. Nothing wrong with that." I dryly responded before giving my offer to the two stranded pirates.

"So how about a trial run? You come with us down to Sealsburg then up to Dragon's Spine for the festival and if it doesn't work out I can pay you for your help and we part ways. Normally I would split any treasure found equally among the group but I'm not sure what I'll find in Sealsburg so I'll offer 10,000 beri at the end for each of you if this doesn't work out." I had that amount in my bank but I was going to need some more bounties to pay for supplies and stuff. That and 10,000 was a large amount for someone who hadn't been bounty hunting. I would have thought 10 grand was a lot until just recently! It ought to hold them over long enough to find another ship or job.

"Hmm." Kanjiro looked down at Kaito who gave a hesitant nod. "I'm aiming to become the greatest swordsman in the world so I'll be looking for fights. I'll do my best not to challenge marines but if they're a swordsman…" He shrugged as if to say 'what can you do?'

"If you're only looking for strong fighters I don't have a problem. My issue with pirates is that they often attack those who don't fight back." I certainly didn't mind him testing himself; it might get around that he was strong and deter people from attacking… or would attract people like Mihawk… hmmm….

"Agreed." Kanjiro gave a wide grin. "Took me forever to find the Flying Blade pirates. Those guys had a sword fetish but were honorable enough that I didn't mind sailing with them."

"They were the blade pirates! Ha!" I poked Boulra in the side.

" _Flying_ Blade pirates… not just Blade pirates." He responded with an aggravated look. Seeing Kaito's confused look he explained. "We were sailing in when the marines were cleaning up the fight and saw the flag. Jasmine was wondering if all pirates were themed and suggested they were the Blade pirates."

Kanjiiro gave a loud booming laugh before agreeing. "Lots of pirates go for a theme. I used to hear groups drunkenly discussing what they'd be called and what sort of theme they wanted some days back in my mum's bar. Right- since we're crew now I guess we ought to load up the supplies I got. Hope you like meat cause that's what's in there."

"Hopefully more than just meat?" I hesitated a bit. Not that I disliked meat but…. Variety people!

"Some fruits and a few barrels of flour. The old crew really only needed some fresh supplies. I can go shopping for more… might need to in fact." He suddenly frowned and looked out to the bay. "My spice kit and cooking supplies just got kidnapped by marines… as did all our clothes and stuff…. Hmmmm."

"We can replace those. Let's get this situated and I'll give you a tour of the _Lady Lark_ then we can go shopping some more." I looked over at Boulra. "Think we should find some more sailors?"

"I'll go looking to see if there's more that meets your requirement and see if there's a doctor while you give the grand tour."

With that we split ways and I helped Kanjiro and Kaito haul the supplies to the lower deck's storage. While there I showed off my baby; the brewery really impressed Kanjiro.

"You were rather serious about the grand tour of alcohol weren't you?" He said as he eyed the recently cleaned and bought gear.

"Yup, and I'll be trying to recreate the good stuff if I can. There's an island we need to hit in the Grandline called Sake Summit. It's apparently a mecha for brewers if my teacher was right. He grew up there so he ought to be right. Since you came with supplies I can probably spare the funds to pick up some brewing materials…. Must add that to the list!"

Kanjiro chuckled at my enthusiasm. "I think I can remember some of the drinks my mum used to make... I helped her out enough I ought to be able to figure it out."

"Oh! That'd be awesome if you could! I really only have 5 recipes right now. Two of which I've never made but have tasted and have some ideas on how to change them for the better."

Kaito really liked the bathroom: kid was really concerned about being clean! I told him that since our water purifier was rather old there'd be time limits on baths or showers but they were still happy with that. Apparently the technology onboard my ship was a bit advanced for this area! Maybe it was more common in the Grandline? The engine room confused them since they were both used to ships that sailed only by wind or by rowing. I told them that we wouldn't be using it unless we hit a calm patch or needed to go against the wind. It was for dire cases where we were running out of supplies and needed to get to land ASAP.

The kitchen area was nicely sized and Kanjiro immediately took inventory and began writing up lists. Lists of supplies he needed immediately, lists of things he wanted to get eventually, lists of how to improve or replace my kitchen supplies. He liked lists apparently.

That afternoon I spent a lot of money on my new crew; Kanjiro took advantage of the fact it wasn't his money to purchase some of the more expensive supplies… but since I would be eating the food made by them I wasn't objecting! Since we were headed far south and to an island in the coldest parts of West Blue, I made sure to pick up thicker clothing for all four of us. I ended up finding the Bank of Jones while they were looking over some weapons and quietly withdrew some cash to pay for it all since I'd used most of what I had on me.

While shopping I chatted with the two to try and get a feel for who they were. Kanjiro really was a brawler; for all he wanted to be a swordsman I could tell he really liked punching things, jumped into combat at the drop of a hat, drank way too much, and lacked the calm and watchfully aura of Mihawk or even Shanks. Kanjiro just gave off this aura of a tavern fighter. Kaito was a kid trying to leave West Blue to have an adventure and escape becoming a marine like his family wanted. Sweet kid really, but naive and a little too used to luxury. But he was willing to try and already knew how to sail so he wouldn't be much of a burden at all!

By the end of the afternoon, I felt like I'd gotten to know them a bit, assuaged Kanjiro's worry about the shifty looking Boulra and bought everything on my list. Boulra hadn't as good luck unfortunately. The marines had been busy in this area so while there were quite a few pirates in situations like Kanjiro and Kaito but none were ones Boulra would trust on my ship. No doctors either sadly; those were all in the capital with the nobles.

That night Kanjiro cooked a feast, and Boulra fleeced us all in cards. Since he won I told him he could do the dishes while I took first watch and escaped before he could wriggle out of it.

The next morning I realized something: it'd been a month since I entered this world. Or rather a month since I became Jasmine and began my journey. A lot had happened in one month; I'd made friends, fought a lot, grew, and already found and fought a legend. Not bad for one month!

And now I had the beginnings of a crew; a chef and swordsman as Shanks had insisted I would need. Now I needed a shipwright and doctor and I'd be set!

After I finished my morning stretches and kicked Kaito out of the shower so I could bathe we set sail.

South to Sealsburg!

* * *

It took us a day or two to get a routine down. Boulra and Kaito would run the riggings for the most part while I navigated and manned the wheel and Kanjiro cooked. Sometimes I or Kanjiro would swap with Boulra during high winds to make the most of favorable winds. In the evenings Boulra and I kept up our spars, on the second day out Kanjiro joined in.

After changing into a comfortable sparing outfit I grabbed my old staff and new naginata and headed out of my cabin. Kanjiro was finishing his clean up and looked up when I exited my cabin and entered the kitchen area.

"Going to do some training?"

"Yup! I've only used a bo staff before but figured I'd need something a bit more lethal if I want to survive the Grandline." I hefted the heavier naginata. "It's going to take a bit to adjust my styles to fit it but that's what crew are for right?"

"Heh. You went bounty hunting with a bo staff?"

"I'm not one for needlessly killing. With a staff I have a good chance at knocking them out instead of killing. But against the siren… I really should have had a blade."

Kanjiro shook his head as he pulled off his apron and hung it up, his braids clacking against each other at the sharp movement. "If I hadn't seen the pictures I wouldn't believe it; a siren! Here's hoping we run into more like that!" He chuckled and went to grab a large great sword. It wasn't the red and silver blade he'd won from that marine but was still a solid piece of metal. "I'll join you. This one's rather dull so it shouldn't be too lethal." He chuckled and I eyed it nervously. A brief appraisal made me even more wary:

 _Dulled Steel Great Sword: Dulled through long intense use, it's no longer great at cutting but can still break bones easily. 50 bludgeoning damage per hit._

My new naginata only dealt 35! And my belltone sword dealt the same damage as a dulled great sword! Just how much worse would it be if he sharpened it and added in style damages? This was going to hurt! 10 hits and I'd be out! Oh well; the XP would be worth it! And it might tell me what level he was at. One of these days I'd find out how to figure out someone else's stat sheet… I have a feeling it'd be Observation Haki that let me do that.

"Hey Boulra! Get ready for some broken bones!" I called out to the lean man who was currently showing Kaito some stances for his bo staff and blade. "You want to fight Kanjiro first or shall I?"

"Ladies first." He flashed a wry grin my way. "Kinda in the middle of some lessons here."

"Of course." I sighed and looked between each of my weapons. "Stabby or no stabby then?"

"No stabby." Kanjiro said as he loomed behind me. "You said you hadn't really gotten used to it so keep to the weapon you like the most right now." He hefted his five foot long blade in one hand and gave a rather feral grin. "Against a fighter like me you should focus on dodging. I can tell you now that I specialize in heavy hitting and breaking weapons."

"Hmm… That's true." I eyed the blade and handed my naginata off to Boulra to hold. "We'll go for five minutes or until one of us surrenders."

"What no bravado?" Boulra asked as he corrected Kaito's stance. "You had no problem taking Phil on."

"Phil wasn't wielding some big ass chunk of metal that could lop a limb off!" I took a stance as Kanjiro nodded in approval. "Besides, I get the feeling this will end up being a test of endurance for me and entertainment for Kanjiro."

The ginger laughed as he slid his right foot forward and crouched, sword held low with the tip pointed slightly upward. "If you go into a fight knowing you'll lose you don't have a chance!"

"I'm just being realistic." In past fights I'd always had terrain to use to my advantage except for Rotgut. The rest I had taken out with surprise and speed. I crouched, left foot forward and staff held in one hand to my right parallel with the ground. "Ready?"

"Ready." His voice dropped several octaves and that feral grin stretched a little bit.

For a few seconds we eyed each other before both moving forward at once. I held my staff ready for a wide swing as he simply lunged and stabbed the blade forward. Dodging to the right, I used my spin to add some extra weight into the swing. Kanjiro's arm flexed and blocked most of the hit as my staff bounced off. It honestly felt like I'd hit a stone wall! There was no give what so ever in his muscles!

"Mm. You hit a bit harder than expected." Kanjiro commented as he spun quickly, the steel blade slicing through the air in an impressive arc. Ducking down I tried to lunge under his reach and smash my staff into his extended knee but he was far nimbler than his heavy muscles suggested and he'd already spun and reset his footing. His blade completed its sweep and he swung it up then down in an impressive arc as I rolled sideways to dodge the powerful downward slash. Kanjiro's swings kept up, wide and strong and offering openings that he closed up instantly as I tried to take advantage of them. I couldn't tell if they were a fake or real and had to go for the ones I saw on the off chance I'd get a hit in. I did manage to get several lighter stabs in but he was unphased. I could see where the naginata would be useful; those stabs could have been lethal with it!

I overextended on one of my lunges in an attempt to get a crouch shot in (if there was one hit to make him flinch that would be it right?) when he took a step backwards and swung his blade down at my unprotected back with both hands. I did a clumsy dive to the side and rolled further to escape the follow up kick.

"Shit! My ship!" I winced when I saw the great sword lodged into the deck. I sprung out of my roll to take advantage of the momentary opening only for him to release his grip and turn to catch my swing in midair.

Kanjiro laughed as he caught my staff and flung it sideways. I too released my grip so I wouldn't be tossed aside and the staff skittered away. I landed in a crouch and tried for a leg sweep. His stance was insanely solid and he merely grunted as my kick connected with his knee. I had to dodge his barrage of punches. I recognized instantly these were not the blows of a martial artists but that of a brawler. Powerful but lacking the weight of the blade, these I could block. I was grateful for the few spars against Phil; they'd given me a bit of experience with fighting larger men with reach and muscle over me. Instead of a solid defense, I focused on redirecting his blows. Each time I still took damage though and I could practically feel the bruises forming! Blocking without a weapon merely reduced the amount taken rather than canceling it entirely.

I kept low to the ground, attacking his legs mostly, trying to weaken his footing and wear him out. Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to where my staff had landed… while he had. As I stepped backward to dodge my foot landed directly on it and slid right out from under me.

I cursed as my balance left and I staggered backwards. Kanjiro took the opening, a strong left punch sliding under my blocking arms and impacting directly into my stomach. I almost puked then (why did we fight after dinner?) but managed to hold it back as his other fist came at me. That one I managed to partially block as I deliberately fell backwards on to the ground to escape the barrage of punches coming my way once again. The fist still hit me though: this time crashing into my elbow. The explosion of pain told me something was wrong with that arm.

"One second." I wheezed. My hand going to the elbow he'd hit. Please don't be broken! Kanjiro stopped instantly when he heard that. As this was a spar, I didn't want to continue even if I could… especially not if it made it worse!

"Not broken is it?" He asked curiously. As he watched me carefully prod the slightly swollen joint, I could spot that Kaito wasn't doing his katas and was instead watching the fight alongside Boulra.

"No. But I think that's it for me. I could fight on but…" I shook my head. "Not sure which is worse, you armed or unarmed!" I gave a laugh and gently tried to move the arm. The pain increased instantly when I moved it: yup, he'd done something to my arm.

 _Spar vs Kanjiro Loss_

 _+30 exp_

 _Wound received: Dislocated left elbow- 1 month to heal. Damage reduced by half when using this arm._

30 exp meant he was a higher level if I recalled right. Looks like he definitely was strong! Good thing he'd lost the blade during the fight.

Welp. Looks like my sleeping beauty feat would come in handy once more: hopefully that one month would be less! If it'd been broken I probably could have healed it faster with my bonesetter skill but did I actually want a broken elbow? Nope.

"Kanjiro, hold my arm for a second. I'm going to have to put it back into position."

"Dislocated?"

"Yeah… It'll take a while but it'll heal." I braced myself for the pain that I was about to inflict upon myself and took a deep breath. One quick extremely painful jerk and the bones ground back into place. "Probably need to splint it to remind myself not to use it too much." I sighed before looking up at Kanjiro. "Thanks for the spar! Next time I'm using my naginata!"

His hand patted my shoulder and he grinned. "I wouldn't have let go of my sword if you'd used that! Some of your strikes would have been more effective with it."

"Your turn Boulra!" I called out and he sighed.

"Right… This is going to hurt!" He muttered but grabbed both his staff and cutlass. "Same rules? Five minutes max or till a forfeit?" He asked Kanjiro who nodded as he went to pull out his great sword. Kaito came over with a small box in his hands to sit next to me.

"Here: I went to get it. Kanjiro's not one for holding back so… thought you might need it." It was one of the first aid kits I'd stashed about the ship.

"Thanks Kaito. Help me wrap it will you?" I put it in a small splint, enough to keep me from overextending or bending the elbow too much but not enough to stop me from using it if I needed too. If it got worse I'd put it in a sling but until then I wanted to keep some use of the arm. We watched as Boulra and Kanjiro started their spar; it was a lot more bloody than mine! Boulra started with the staff to get a feel for how Kanjiro fought but swapped to his cutlass after a minute when he felt confident enough to dodge Kanjiro's deceptively fast swings.

"Did you see a lot of sparring on your old ship?" I asked Kaito while we watched.

"Not really." He answered. "They were all very hardcore about fighting. All or nothing you know?" We both winced as Boulra barely blocked a side swing from the great sword that knocked him backwards several feet. At this point Kanjiro was bleeding from several gashes on his ribs while Boulra looked to be favoring his left arm.

"Kanjiro did his best to teach me some stuff but he had a lot of work to do in the kitchens keeping a large crew fed. I mostly helped him or ran riggings."

"What weapons do you know how to use?"

"Single handed blades, I prefer cutlasses or rapiers. I can shoot a pistol and rifle. I also know some martial arts and staff work." Boulra danced backwards and shook his head with a laugh as Kanjiro almost bisected him. Kanjiro seemed to be faster -or at least more vicious- as he got more wounds.

At four minutes Boulra was backed into the mast and forfeited. Kanjiro struck a victorious pose for a second before laughing and slinging an arm about the battered Boulra as they came over to us.

"Not bad! Not bad!" Kanjiro's freckled face was flushed and his eyes seemed to be glittering. The fights had gotten him quite excited and he was enjoying himself. "Going to need to work on your stances! My strength almost broke through your blocks several times!"

"With a sharped blade I'd have lost faster… I get the feeling you use that chuck of metal in spars deliberately right?" Boulra said as he slouched down next to me. Kanjiro looked amused and nodded.

"Yup. You can heal from broken bones but not from being cut in two! Come Kaito! Let's work on some of your exercises!" Kaito bounced up eagerly and took ahold of the gigantic blade that was almost as tall as him and started doing lifts with it. I could see his skinny arms trembling from here!

Boulra and I looked at each other and exchanged weary grins. "He's going to be a good addition to the crew." I said.

"Agreed. Also a good sparring partner. I'll have to start up my strength training again." Boulra sighed. It was not his favorite thing to do apparently.

"I'm going to try to increase my speed." I stood and stretched a bit. "Since I'll have to take it easy on the arm for a few weeks I can focus on my legs." Went off to the side to get started; I knew I'd be facing men like Kanjiro a lot on the Grandline so this time in the West Blue would be beneficial for all of us to train and get used to fighting different styles.

* * *

I ended up using a sling for my arm after all. Even with the bandages, I kept trying to use the arm so I bit the bullet and simply stopped using it. I did notice that my wound was healing faster the more I slept, much like the unknown status there was a bar next to it that was empty. Unlike the status, this one filled with green the more I slept: obviously it was tracking how healed the wound was.

I was very put out by this: how was I supposed to get stronger if I was out of combat training due to wounds? On the other hand it was realistic so I can't complain too much I guess. I didn't stay out of all the spars though: I insisted on being allowed to sparing a bit. It'd be training for when I got wounded and could only use one hand! There was one day where we all used no hands or our off hand and sparred each other like that. Training for when we were captured and tied up Kanjiro claimed. It was sweet of him to try and make it an equal footing for me so I could spar with them. Even with a handicap Kaito couldn't beat me but he was much younger than I was! To be honest, I was glad of that. If I couldn't beat a teenager with one arm tied behind my back I probably wasn't ready for the Grandline. The first duel with both our arms tied I won against Kanjiro and Boulra but then proceeded to loos once the larger man got used to the off balance feeling and used his greater weight to kick me down. I managed to avoid that fate with Boulra by being a bit faster and keeping out of his reach until I wore the clock down. Kaito commented it looked like a bunch of tall chickens fighting, the way we kept running around!

But for the most part I focused on navigating and sailing. I couldn't use my erhu with only one arm, but I could sing to make the time pass when we weren't rushing about adjusting sails to a changing wind. I had fun channeling some spirit into my voice as I sang some of my more stirring songs, getting used to my skill Inspire Dreams. It felt odd at first, like the power was tickling my throat while I sang but eventually that went away. I usually did this while the others were sparring, singing battle songs and the like much to their amusement.

Finally the air turned colder, signaling our approach of one of the coldest islands in West Blue. Each morning we woke up to a fog, delaying our trip until the sun and wind lessened enough for us to travel. Eventually the ocean got cold enough that icebergs began to appear, getting larger the closer we got to Sealsburg. As the waters became treacherous to sail through, a tall gleaming white spire loomed upon the horizon: we'd arrived at Sealsburg.

* * *

 **[Jasmine, Kanjiro, Kaito Bios have been uploaded]**

 _Notes: Sleeping beauty reduces the time needed to heal by ¼ when you get a full night's rest. So instead of the 4 weeks (28 days) needed to heal completely Jasmine will be fine in 21 days (7 days is ¼ of 28) She also does gain +1 Speed from her diligent leg training as well as +20 stamina. For those of you who track those things lol_

 _I went back and reuploaded Ch 12 after some edits and formatting corrections. I reread my last chapter to prepare for this one and found lots of issues and found out that Fanfic had done weird things to its format. Ah well... Least it's correct now._

 _Thanks again for all who read, faved, followed, or reviewed!_

 _For xmas I commissioned R-no71 from DA to draw Jasmine! She is the lovely cover art now._

 _(tried to make the formating a bit more spacy... why won't it let me indent my stupid conversations? Word docs looks a lot nicer than this *sighs*)_


End file.
